,  v/ 


THE  BIBLE,  THE  KORAN,  AND  THE  TALMUD; 


BIBLICAL  LEGENDS 


THE    MUSSULMANS. 


COMPILED     FROM     ARABIC     SOURCES,     AND     COMPARED 
WITH    JEWISH    TRADITIONS. 


BY    DR.    G.    WEI  L, 

LIBRARIAN    OF    THE     UNIVERSITY     OF    HEIDELBERG,     FELLOW    OV    THi 
ASIATIC    SOCIETY    OF    PARIS,    &C.,    &C.,    &C. 


TRANSLATED    FROM  THE   GERMAN, 

WITH    OCCASIONAL    NOTF.S. 


N  E  W  -  Y  O  R  K  : 

HARPER   &   BROTHERS,   PUBLISHERS. 

82   CLIFF    STREET. 

18  4  0. 


INTKODUCTIOV.  XV 

before  him.  Here,  again,  we  perceive  that  Mo- 
hammed was  probably  misinformed  both  by 
Jews  and  Christians,  though  perhaps  from  no 
sordid  motive.  Some  one,  for  instance,  as 
Maccavia  has  ah'eady  observed,  may  have  told 
him  that  Christ  had  spoken  of  a  peryclete — a 
word  which  is  synonymous  with  Ahmed  (the 
mucli-praised  one).  At  all  events,  in  all  the  le- 
gends of  the  Mussulmans,  Mohammed  is  declared 
even  by  the  oldest  prophets  to  be  the  greatest  of 
all  that  were  to  come  (although  there  are  fewer 
traces  of  this  found  in  the  Koran) ;  and  wherever, 
in  the  Jewish  legends,  Moses,  Israel,  and  the 
Thora  are  prominently  brought  forward,  there 
the  Mussulmans  place  Mohammed,  the  Arabs, 
and  the  Koran.  The  name  to  which,  they  most 
frequently  appeal  as  their  voucher  is  Kaab  Alah- 
bar,  a  Jew,  who  embraced  Islamism  during  the 
caliphate  of  Omar.  As  translations  of  the  Koran 
abound  in  the  German  language,  it  can  not  be 
difficult  for  the  reader  to  separate  those  portions 
of  these  legends  composed  by  Mohammed  from 
those  which  were  afterward  interpolated,  but 
which  were,  ascribed  to  him,  and  descended  to 
posterity  as  'sacred  traditions. 

The  oral  traditions  respecting  the  ancient 
prophets,  which  are  put  into  Mohammed's  mouth, 
are  so  numerous,  and  some  of  them  so  cantra- 
dictory.  that  no  historian  or  biogrnpher  has  bren 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

able  to  admit  them  all.  It  was  therefore  nec- 
essary to  select ;  and  in  order  to  make  them  in 
some  degree  complete,  we  were  obliged  to  draw 
from  various  sources,  as  it  was  only  in  this  way 
that  the  unity  and  roundness  could  be  obtained 
in  which  they  are  here  presented  to  the  reader. 
Besides  the  Koran  and  the  commentaries 
upon  it,  the  following  MSS.  have  been  made 
use  of  for  this  little  work : 

1.  The  book  Chamis,  by  Husein  Ibn  Moham- 
med, Ibn  Ahasur  Addiarbekri  (No.  279  of  the 
Arabian  MSS.  in  the  library  of  the  Duke  of 
Gotha),  which,  as  the  introduction  to  the  biog- 
raphy of  Mohammed,  contains  many  legends  re- 
specting the  ancient  prophets,  especially  Adam, 
Abraham,  and  Solomon. 

2.  The  book  Dsachirat  Alulum  w^anatidjal 
Alfuhum  (storehouse  of  wisdom  and  fruits  of 
knowledge),  by  Ahmed  Ibn  Zein  Alabidin  Al- 
bekri  (No.  285  of  the  above-mentioned  MSS.), 
in  which  also  the  ancient  legends  from  Adam 
to  Christ  are  prefixed  to  the  History  of  Islam, 
and  more  especially  the  lives  of  Moses  and 
Aaron  minutely  narrated. 

3.  A  collection  of  legends  by  anonymous  au- 
thors.    (No.  909  of  the  same  collection.) 

4.  The  Legends  of  the  Prophets  (Kissat  Alan- 
bija),  by  Muhammed  Ibn  Ahmed  Alkissai.     (No. 

764  of^he  Arabic  MSS.  of  the  Roval  Library 

»  *• 

at  Paris.)  ^ 


CONTENTS, 


Page 

Adam  (a  Mohammedan  Legend) 19 

Idris,  or  Enoch 48 

Noah,  Hud,  and  Salih 53 

Abraham 68 

Joseph 97 

Moses  and  Aaron 114 

Samuel,  Saul,  and  David 171 

Solomon  and  the  Queen  of  Saba 200 

John,  Mary,  and  Christ 249 

2 


BIBLICAL  LEGENDS, 

FROM  THE  ARABIC,   &c.,   &c. 


ADAM. 

(a    MOHAMMEDAN    LEGEND.) 

The  most  authentic  records  of  antiquity  which 
have  come  down  to  us  state  that  Adam  was 
created  on  Friday  afternoon,  at  the  hour  of 
Assr.* 

The  four  most  exalted  angels,  Gabriel,  Mi- 
chael, Israfil,  and  Israil,  were  commanded  to 
bring  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth  the 
dust  out  of  which  Allah  formed  the  body  of 
Adam,  all  save  the  head  and  heart.  For  these 
He  employed  exclusively  the  sacred  earth  of 
Mecca  and  Medina,  from  the  very  spots  on 
which,  in  later  times,  the  holy  Kaaba  and  the 
sepulchre  of  Mohammed  were  erected. f 

*  The  hour  of  Assr  is  between  noon  and  evening,  and  is  set 
apart  by  the  Mussulman  for  the  performance  of  his  third  daily 
prayer. 

t  Mohammed,  the  founder  of  Islam,  was  born  in  571  A.D.,  at 
Mecca,  where  the  Kaaba,  then  an  ancient  temple,  was  held  in 
great  veneration.  In  622  the  idolaters  of  Mecca  compelled  him 
to  emigrate  to  Medina,  where  he  died  in  June,  632.  Vide  Crus- 
tavus  Weill.  Mohamed  der  Prophet,  .fcjn  Lebe7i  nnd  seine  Lehre, 
Sic.     Stuttgart,  1843,  9vo. 


20  ADAM    CREATED. 

Even  before  it  was  animated,  Adam's  beauti- 
ful form  excited  the  admiration  of  the  angels 
who  were  passing  by  the  gates  of  Paradise, 
where  Allah  had  laid  it  down.  But  Iblis  covet- 
ed man's  noble  form,  and  the  spiritual  and  love- 
ly expression  of  his  countenance,  and  said,  there- 
fore, to  his  fellows, "  How  can  this  hollow  piece 
of  earth  be  well  pleasing  in  your  sight  ?  Noth- 
ing but  weakness  and  frailty  may  be  expected 
of  this  creature."  When  all  the  inhabitants  of 
heaven,  save  Iblis,  had  gazed  on  Adam  in  long 
and  silent  wonder,  they  burst  out  in  praises  to 
Allah,  the  creator  of  the  first  man,  who  was  so 
tall,  that  when  he  stood  erect  upon  the  earth 
his  head  reached  to  the  seventh  heaven. 

Allah  then  directed  the  angels  to  bathe  the 
Soul  of  Adam,  which  he  had  created  a  thousand 
years  before  his  body,  in  the  sea  of  glory  which 
proceedeth  from  himself,  and  commanded  her  to 
animate  his  yet  lifeless  form.  The  Soul  hesita- 
ted, for  she  was  unwilling  to  exchange  the 
boundless  heavens  for  this  narrow  home;  but 
Allah  said,  "  Thou  must  animate  Adam  even 
against  thy  will ;  and  as  the  punishment  of  thy 
disobedience,  thou  shalt  one  day  be  separated 
from  him  also  against  thy  will."  Allah  then 
breathed  upon  her  with  such  violence  that  she 
rushed  through  the  nostrils  of  Adam  into  hig 
head.     On  reaching  his  eyes,  they  were  opened, 


ADAM    ANIMATED    WITH    LIFE.  21 

and  he  saw  the  throne  of  Allah,  with  the  in- 
scription, "  There  is  but  one  God,  and  Moham- 
med is  his  Messenger."  The  Soul  then  pene- 
trated to  his  ears,  and  he  heard  the  angels  prais- 
ing Allah  ;  thereupon  his  own  tongue  was  loosed, 
and  he  cried,  "  Blessed  be  thou,  my  Creator,  the 
only  One  and  Eternal !"  and  Allah  answered, 
*  For  this  end  wast  thou  created  ;  thou  and  thy 
Jescendants  shall  worship  me  ;  so  shall  ye  ever 
obtain  grace  and  mercy."  The  Soul  at  last 
pervaded  all  the  limbs  of  Adam ;  and  when  she 
had  reached  his  feet,  she  gave  him  the  power  to 
rise ;  but,  on  rising,  he  was  obliged  to  shut  his 
eyes,  for  a  light  shone  on  him  from  the  throne 
of  the  Lord  which  he  was  unable  to  endure ; 
and  pointing  with  one  hand  toward  it,  while 
he  shaded  his  eyes  with  the  other,  he  inquired, 
"  O  Allah  !  what  flames  are  those  ?"  "  It  is  the 
light  of  a  prophet  who  shall  descend  from  thee 
and  appear  on  earth  in  the  latter  times.  By 
my  glory,  only  for  his  sake  have  I  created  thee 
and  the  whole  world.*  In  heaven  his  name  is 
Ahmed,!  but  he  shall  be  called  Mohammed  on 
earth,  and  he  shall  restore  mankind  from  vice 
and  falsehood  to  the  path  of  virtue  and  truth." 

*  The  Midrash  Jalkut  (Frankfort  on  the  O.,  5469),  says  Rabbi 
Juda,  teaches  that  the  world  was  created  on  account  of  the  mer- 
its of  Israel.  R.  Hosia  says  it  was  created  on  account  of  the  Thora 
(the  Law) ;  and  R.  Barachia,  on  account  of  the  merits  of  Moses. 

t  The  much  praised  One. 


22  THE    FALL    OF    t^ATAN. 

All  created  things  were  then  assembled  be- 
fore Adam,  and  Allah  taught  him  the  names  of 
all  beasts,  of  birds,  and  of  fish ;  the  manner  in 
which  they  are  sustained  and  propagated,  and 
explained  their  peculiarities,  and  the  ends  of 
their  existence.  Finally,  the  angels  were  con- 
voked, and  Allah  commanded  them  to  bow 
down  to  Adam,  as  the  most  free  and  perfect  of 
His  creatures,  and  as  the  only  one  that  was  ani- 
mated by  His  breath.  Israfil  was  the  first  to 
obey,  whence  Allah  confided  to  him  the  book 
of  Fate.  The  other  angels  followed  his  exam- 
ple :  Iblis  alone  was  disobedient,  saying,  with 
disdain,  "  Shall  I,  who  am  created  of  fire,  wor- 
ship a  being  formed  of  the  dust?"  He  was 
therefore  expelled  from  heaven,  and  the  en- 
trance into  Paradise  was  forbidden  him. 

Adam  breathed  more  freely  after  the  removal 
of  Iblis;  and  by  command  of  Allah,  he  address- 
ed the  myriads  of  angels  who  were  standing 
around  him,  in  praise  of  His  omnipotence  and 
the  wonders  of  His  universe ;  and  on  this  occa- 
sion he  manifested  to  the  angels  that  he  far  sur- 
passed then:i  in  wisdom,  and  more  especially  in 
the  knowledge  of  languages,  for  he  knew  the 
name  of  every  created  thing  in  seventy  diflferent 
tongues.* 

*  When  the  Lord  intended  to  create  man,  he  consulted  with 
the  angels,  and  said  to  them,  "  We  will  create  man  after  our  im- 


EVE.  23 

After  this  discourse,  Allah  presented  him, 
through  Gabriel,  with  a  bunch  of  grapes  from 
Paradise,  and  when  be  had  eaten  them  he  fell 
into  a  deep  sleep.  The  Lord  then  took  a  rib 
from  Adam's  side,  and  formed  a  woman  of  it, 
whom  he  called  Hava  [Eve],  for  he  said,  I  have 
taken  her  from  (hai)  the  living.  She  bore  a  per- 
fect resemblance  to  Adam ;  but  her  features 
were  more  delicate  than  his,  and  her  eyes  shone 
with  a  sweeter  luster,  her  hair  was  longer,  and 
divided  into  seven  hundred  braids ;  her  form 
was  lighter,  and  her  voice  more  soft  and  pure. 

While  Allah  was  endowing  Eve  with  every 
female  charm,  Adam  was  dreaming  of  a  second 
human  being  resembling  himself  Nor  was  this 
strange,  for  had  he  not  seen  all  the  creatures 
which  had  been  presented  to  him  in  pairs? 
When,  therefore,  he  awoke,  and  found  Eve  near 
him,  he  desired  to  embrace  her ;  yet,  although 
her  love  exceeded  his  own,  she  forbade  him,  and 
said,  "  Allah  is  my  lord ;  it  is  only  with  his  per- 
mission that  I  may  be  thine  !     Besides,  it  is  not 

age."  But  they  replied,  "  What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of 
him?  What  are  his  excellences?"  He  said,  " His  wisdom  ex- 
ceeds your  own."  He  then  took  all  kinds  of  wild  beasts  and 
birds,  and  when  he  asked  the  angels  to  give  their  names,  they 
were  not  able  to  do  so.  After  the  creation,  he  brought  these  ani- 
mals to  Adam,  who,  on  being  asked  their  names,  replied  imme- 
diately, "  This  is  an  ox,  this  is  an  ass,  that  a  horse,  a  camel,"  &c. 
(Compare  Geiger,  Was  hat  Mohamed  aus  dem  Judenthum  auf- 
genommen,  p.  99,  &c.) 


24  THE    ENTRANCE    INTO    I'AUADlSE. 

meet  that  a  woman  should  be  wedded  without 
a  marriage  gift."  Adam  then  prayed  the  angel 
Gabriel  to  intercede  for  him  with  Allah,  that  he 
might  obtain  Eve  for  his  wife,  and  to  inquire 
what  marriage  gift  would  be  demanded-.  The 
angel  soon  returned,  and  said,  "  Eve  is  thine,  for 
Allah  has  created  her  only  for  thee  !  Love  her 
as  thyself,  and  treat  her  with  indulgence  and 
kindness.  The  marriage  gift  which  he  requires 
of  thee  is,  that  thou  shouldst  pray  twenty  times 
for  Mohammed,  his  beloved,  whose  body  shall 
one  day  be  formed  out  of  thy  flesh  and  blood, 
but  whose  soul  has  dwelt  in  Allah's  presence 
many  thousand  years  before  the  creation  of  the 
world."* 

Rid  whan,  the  guardian  of  Eden,  came  leading 
Meimun,  the  winged  horse,  and  a  fleet  she-camel. 
The  one  he  presented  to  Adam,  the  other  to  Eve. 
The  angel  Gabriel  assisted  them  in  mounting, 
and  conducted  them  to  Paradise,  where  all  the 
angels  and  animals  present  saluted  them  with 
the  words,  "  Hail !  ye  parents  of  Mohammed  !" 

*  The  idea  that  many  things  existed  before  the  creation  of  the 
world  is  purely  Jewish.  The  Mussulmans  adopted  it.  Some  of 
them  maintained  that  the  Koran  had  existed  before  the  world, 
which  assertion  excited  many  bloody  contests  among  them.  The 
Midrash  Jalkut,  p.  7,  says,  Seven  things  were  in  existence  before 
the  creation  of  the  world  :  th-e  Thora,  Repentance,  Paradise,  Hell, 
the  Throne  of  God,  the  name  of  the  Messiah,  and  the  holy  Tem- 
ple. Some  maintain  that  the  throne  and  the  Thora  really  ex- 
isted, while  the  Lord  only  thought  of  the  other  five  before  he  cre- 
ated the  world. 


THE    PROHIBITION.  25 

In  the  midst  of  Paradise  there  stood  a  green 
silken  tent,  supported  on  golden  pillars,  and  in 
the  midst  of  it  there  was  a  throne,  on  which  Adam 
seated  himself  with  Eve,  whereupon  the  curtains 
of  the  tent  closed  around  them  of  their  own  ac- 
cord. 

When  Adam  and  Eve  were  afterward  walk- 
ing through  the  garden,  Gabriel  came  and  com- 
manded them,  in  the  name  of  Allah,  to  go  and 
bathe  in  one  of  the  four  rivers  of  Paradise.  Al- 
lah himself  then  said  to  them, "  I  have  appointed 
this  garden  for  your  abode ;  it  will  shelter  you 
from  cold  and  heat,  from  hunger  and  thirst. 
Take,  at  your  discretion,  of  every  thing  that  it 
contains ;  only  one  of  its  fruits  shall  be  denied 
you.  Beware  that  ye  transgress  not  this  one 
command,  and  watch  against  the  wily  rancor 
of  Iblis !  He  is  your  enemy,  because  he  was 
overthrown  on  your  account ;  his  cunning  is  in- 
finite, and  he  aims  at  your  destruction." 

The  newly-created  pair  attended  to  Allah's 
words,  and  lived  a  long  time,  some  say  five 
hundred  years,  in  Paradise  without  approaching 
the  forbidden  tree.  But  Iblis  also  had  listened 
to  Allah,  and  resolving  to  lead  man  into  sin, 
wandered  constantly  in  the  outskirts  of  heaven, 
seeking  to  glide  unobserved  into  Paradise.  But 
its  gates  were  shut,  and  guarded  by  the  an- 
gel Ridwhan.  One  day  the  peacock  came  out 
C 


26  Satan's  attempt. 

of  the  garden.  He  was  then  the  finest  of  the 
birds  of  Paradise,  for  his  plumage  shone  like 
pearl  and  emerald,  and  his  voice  was  so  me- 
lodious that  he  was  appointed  to  sing  the  praises 
of  Allah  daily  in  the  main  streets  of  heaven. 

Iblis,  on  seeing  him,  said  to  himself,  "Doubt- 
less this  beautiful  bird  is  very  vain :  perhaps  I 
may  be  able  to  induce  him  by  flattery  to  bring 
me  secretly  into  the  garden." 

When  the  peacock  had  gone  so  far  from  the 
gates  that  he  could  no  longer  be  overheard  by 
Ridwhan,  Iblis  said  to  him, 

"  Most  wonderful  and  beautiful  bird  !  art  thou 
of  the  birds  of  Paradise  ?" 

"  I  am  ;  but  who  art  thou,  who  seemest  fright- 
ened as  if  some  one  did  pursue  thee  ?" 

"I  am  one  of  those  cherubim  who  are  ap- 
pointed to  sing  without  ceasing  the  praises  of 
Allah,  but  have  glided  away  for  an  instant  to 
visit  the  Paradise  which  he  has  prepared  for  the 
faithful.  Wilt  thou  conceal  me  under  thy  beau- 
tiful wings?" 

"  Why  should  I  do  an  act  which  must  bring 
the  displeasure  of  Allah  upon  me  ?" 

"  Take  me  with  thee,  charming  bird,  and  I 
will  teach  thee  three  mysterious  words,  which 
shall  preserve  thee  from  sickness,  age,  and 
death." 

"  Must,  then,  the  inhabitants  of  Paradise  die  ?" 


THE  PEACOCK  AND  THE  SERPENT.      27 

"All,  wifhout  exception,  who  know  not  the 
three  words  which  I  possess." 

"  Speakest  thou  the  truth  ?" 

"By  Allah  the  Almighty!" 

The  peacock  believed  him,  for  he  did  not  even 
dream  that  any  creature  would  swear  falsely  by 
its  maker;  yet,  fearing  lest  Ridwhan  might 
search  him  too  closely  on  his  return,  he  steadily 
refused  to  take  Iblis  along  with  him,  but  prom- 
ised to  send  out  the  serpent,  who  might  more 
easily  discover  the  means  of  introducing  him 
unobservedly  into  the  garden. 

Now  the  serpent  was  at  first  the  queen  of  all 
beasts.  Her  head  was  like  rubies,  and  her  eyes 
like  emerald.  Her  skin  shone  like  a  mirror  of 
various  hues.  Her  hair  was  soft  like  that  of  a 
noble  virgin  ;  and  her  form  resembled  the  stately 
camel ;  her  breath  was  sweet  like  musk  and 
amber,  and  all  her  words  were  songs  of  praise. 
She  fed  on  saffron,  and  her  resting-places  were 
on  the  blooming  borders  of  the  beautiful  Can- 
tharus.*  She  was  created  a  thousand  years 
before  Adam,  and  destined  to  be  the  playmate 
of  Eve. 

"  This  fair  and  prudent  being,"  said  the  pea- 
cock to  himself,  "  must  be  even  more  desirous 
than  I  to  remain  in  eternal  youth  and  vigor,  and 
will  undoubtedly  dare  the  displeasure  of  Rid- 

*  One  of  the  rivers  of  Paradise. 


28       THE  PEACOCK  AND  THE  SERPENT. 

whan  at  the  price  of  the  three  invaluable  words." 
He  was  right  in  his  conjecture,  for  no  sooner 
had  he  informed  the  serpent  of  his  adventure 
than  she  exclaimed,  "  Can  it  be  so  ?  Shall  I  be 
visited  by  death  ?  Shall  my  breath  expire,  my 
tongue  be  paralyzed,  and  my  limbs  become  im- 
potent ?  Shall  my  eyes  and  ears  be  closed  in 
night?  And  this  noble  form  of  mine,  shall  it 
perish  in  the  dust?  Never,  never!  Even  if 
Ridwhan's  wrath  should  light  upon  me,  I  will 
hasten  to  the  cherub,  and  will  lead  him  into  Par- 
adise, so  he  but  teach  me  the  three  mysterious 
words." 

The  serpent  ran  forthwith  out  of  the  gate, 
and  Iblis  repeated  to  her  what  he  had  said  to 
the  peacock,  confirming  his  words  by  an  oath. 

"  How  can  1  bring  thee  into  Paradise  unob- 
served ?"  inquired  the  serpent. 

"  I  will  contract  myself  into  so  small  a  bulk 
that  I  shall  find  room  in  a  cavity  of  thy  teeth !" 

"  But  how  shall  I  answer  Ridwhan  if  he  ad- 
dresses me  ?" 

"  Fear  nothing ;  I  will  utter  holy  names  that 
shall  render  him  speechless." 

The  serpent  then  opened  her  mouth :  Iblis 
flew  into  it,  and,  seating  himself  in  the  hollow 
part  of  her  front  teeth,  poisoned  them  to  all  eter- 
nity. When  they  had  passed  Ridwhan,  who 
was  not  able  to  utter  a  sound,  the  serpent  open- 


THE    TEMPTATION,  29 

ed  her  mouth  again,  expecting  that  the  cherub 
would  resume  his  natural  shape,  but  Iblis  prefer- 
red to  remain  where  he  was,  and  to  speak  to 
Adam  from  the  serpent's  mouth,  and  in  her 
name.  After  some  resistance,  she  consented, 
from  fear  of  Ridwhan,  and  from  her  anxiety  to 
obtain  the  mysterious  words.  Arrived  at  Eve's 
tent,  Iblis  heaved  a  deep  sigh :  the  first  which 
envy  had  forced  from  any  living  breast. 

"  Why  art  thou  so  cast  down  to-day,  my  be- 
loved serpent?"  inquired  Eve,  who  had  heard 
the  sigh. 

"  I  am  anxious  for  the  future  destiny  of  thee 
and  of  thy  husband,"  replied  Iblis,  imitating  the 
voice  of  the  serpent. 

"  How  !  Do  we  not  possess  in  these  gardens 
of  Eden  all  that  we  can  desire  ?" 

"  True  ;  and  yet  the  best  of  the  fruits  of  this 
garden,  and  the  only  one  which  can  procure  you 
perfect  felicity,  is  denied  you." 

"Have  we  not  fruits  in  abundance  of  every 
taste  and  color  ?  why  should  we  regret  this 
one?" 

"  If  thou  knewest  why  this  fruit  is  denied  you, 
all  the  rest  would  afford  thee  no  pleasure." 

"  Knowest  thou  the  reason  ?" 

"I  do ;  and  it  is  precisely  this  knowledge 
which  fills  my  heart  with  care  ;  for  while  all 
the  fruits  which  are  given  you  bring  with  them 
C2 


30  TH      TEMPTATION. 

weakness,  disease,  old  age,  and  death,  that  is, 
the  entire  cessation  of  Ufe,  this  forbidden  fruit 
alone  bestows  eternal  youth  and  vigor." 

"  Thou  hast  never  spoken  of  these  things  un- 
til now,  beloved  serpent ;  whence  derivest  thou 
this  knowledge  ?" 

"  An  angel  informed  me  of  it,  whom  I  met 
under  the  forbidden  tree." 

Eve  answered,  "I  will  go  and  speak  with 
him  ;"  and,  leaving  her  tent,  she  hurried  toward 
the  tree. 

On  the  instant,  Iblis,  who  knew  Eve's  curios- 
ity, sprang  out  of  the  serpent's  mouth,  and  was 
standing  under  the  forbidden  tree,  in  the  shape 
of  an  angel,  but  with  a  human  face,  before  Eve 
had  reached  it. 

"  Who  art  thou,  singular  being,"  she  inquired, 
"  whose  like  I  have  never  seen  ?" 

"  I  was  man,  but  have  become  an  angel  ?" 

"  By  what  means  ?" 

"  By  eating  of  this  blessed  fruit,  which  an  en- 
vious God  had  forbidden  me  to  taste  on  pain  of 
death.  I  long  submitted  to  his  command,  until  I 
became  old  and  frail ;  my  eyes  lost  their  luster 
and  grew  dim,  my  ears  no  longer  heard,  my 
teeth  decayed,  and  I  could  neither  eat  without 
pain,  nor  speak  with  distinctness.  My  hands  trem- 
bled, my  feet  shook,  my  head  hung  down  upon 
my  breast,  my  back  was  bent,  and  my  whole 


THE    FORBIDDEN    TREE.  31 

appearance  became  at  last  so  frightful  that  all 
the  inhabitants  of  Paradise  fled  from  me.  I  then 
longed  for  death,  and  expecting  to  meet  it  by 
eating  of  this  fruit,  I  stretched  out  my  hands 
and  took  of  it ;  but  lo  !  it  had  scarcely  touched 
my  lips,  when  I  became  strong  and  beautiful  as 
at  first ;  and  though  many  thousand  years  have 
since  elapsed,  I  am  not  sensible  of  the  slightest 
change  either  in  my  appearance  or  in  my  ener- 
gies." 

"  Speakest  thou  the  truth  ?" 
"  By  Allah,  who  created  me,  I  do." 
Eve  trusted  to  his  oath,  and  plucked  an  ear 
of  the  wheat-tree. 

Now,  before  Adam's  sin,  wheat  grew  upon 
the  finest  tree  of  Paradise.  Its  trunk  was  of 
gold,  its  branches  were  of  silver,  and  its  leaves 
of  emerald.  From  every  branch  there  sprung 
seven  ears  of  ruby  ;  each  ear  contained  five 
grains,  and  every  grain  was  white  as  snow, 
sweet  as  honey,  fragrant  as  musk,  and  as  large 
as  an  ostrich's  egg.  Eve  ate  one  of  these  grains, 
and  finding  it  more  pleasant  than  all  she  had 
hitherto  tasted,  she  took  a  second  one  and  pre- 
sented it  to  her  husband. 

Adam  resisted  long — our  doctors  say,  a  whole 
hour  of  Paradise,  which  means  eighty  years  of 
our  time  on  earth ;  but  when  he  observed  that 
Eve  remained  fair  and  happy  as  before,  he  vield- 


32  THE    FALL. 

ed  to  her  importunity  at  last,  and  ate  the  second 
grain  of  wheat,  which  she  had  had  constantly  with 
her,  and  presented  to  him  three  times  evei'y  day. 
Scarcely  had  Adam  received  the  fruit  when 
his  crown  rose  toward  heaven,  his  rings  fell  from 
his  fingers,  and  his  silken  robe  dropped  from  him. 
Eve,  too,  stood  spoiled  of  her  ornaments  and 
naked  before  him,  and  they  heard  how  all  these 
things  cried  to  them  with  one  voice,  "  Woe  unto 
you  !  your  calamity  is  great,  and  your  mourning 
will  be  long :  we  were  created  for  the  obedient 
only:  farewell  until  the  resurrection!"  The 
throne  which  had  been  erected  for  them  in  the 
tent  thrust  them  away  and  cried,  "  Rebels,  de- 
part !"  The  horse  Meimun,  upon  which  Adam 
attempted  to  fly,  would  not  suffer  him  to  mount, 
and  said,  "  Hast  thou  thus  kept  the  covenant  of 
Allah  ?" 

All  the  creatures  of  Paradise  then  turned  from 
them,  and  besought  Allah  to  remove  the  human 
pair  from  that  hallowed  spot.  Allah  himself  ad- 
dressed Adam  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  and  said, 
"  Wast  thou  not  commanded  to  abstain  from  this 
fruit,  and  forewarned  of  the  cunning  of  Iblis,  thy 
foe?"  Adam  attempted  to  flee  from  these  up- 
braidings,  and  Eve  would  have  followed  him,  but 
he  was  held  fast  by  the  branches  of  the  tree 
Talh,  and  Eve  was  entangled  in  her  own  di- 
sheveled hair,  while  a  voice  from  the  tree  ex- 


THE    EXPULSION.  33 

claimed,  "From  the  wrath  of  Allah  there  is  no 
escape  :  submit  to  his  divine  decree  !  Leave 
this  Paradise,"  continued  Allah,  in  tones  of  wrath, 
"  both  you,  and  the  creatures  which  have  seduced 
you  to  transgress  :  by  the  sweat  of  your  brow 
alone  shall  you  earn  your  bread  ;  the  earth  shall 
henceforth  be  your  abode,  and  its  possessions 
shall  fill  your  hearts  with  envy  and  malice  !  Eve 
shall  be  visited  with  all  kinds  of  sickness,  and 
bear  children  in  pain.  The  peacock  shall  be  de- 
prived of  his  voice,  and  the  serpent  of  her  feet. 
The  darkest  caverns  of  the  earth  shall  be  her 
dwelling-place,  dust  shall  be  her  food,  and  to  kill 
her  bring  sevenfold  reward.  But  Iblis  shall  de- 
part into  the  eternal  pains  of  hell." 

Hereupon  they  were  hurled  down  from  Para- 
dise with  such  precipitancy  that  Adam  and  Eve 
could  scarcely  snatch  a  leaf  from  one  of  the 
trees  wherewith  to  cover  themselves.  Adam 
was  flung  out  through  the  Gate  of  Repentance, 
teaching  him  that  he  might  return  through  con- 
trition ;  Eve  through  the  Gate  of  Mercy ;  the 
peacock  and  the  serpent  through  the  Gate  of 
Wrath,  but  Iblis  through  that  of  the  Curse. 

Adam  came  down  on  the  island  Serendib,  Eve 
on  Djidda,  the  serpent  fell  into  the  Sahara,  the 
peacock  into  Persia,  and  Iblis  dropped  into  the 
torrent  Aila. 

When  Adam  touched  the  earth,  the  eagle  said 
3 


34  REMORSE    OF    ADAM    AND    EVE. 

to  the  whale,  with  whom  he  had  hitherto  Uved 
on  friendly  terms,  and  had  whiled  away  many 
an  hour  in  pleasant  converse  on  the  shores  of 
the  Indian  Ocean,  "  We  must  now^  part  forever ; 
for  the  lowest  depths  of  the  sea  and  the  loftiest 
mountain  tops  will  henceforth  scarcely  preserve 
us  from  the  cunning  and  malice  of  men." 

Adam's  distress  in  his  sohtude  was  so  great 
that  his  beard  began  to  grow,  though  his  face 
had  hitherto  been  smooth;  and  this  new  ap- 
pearance increased  his  grief  until  he  heard  a 
voice  which  said  to  him,  "  The  beard  is  the  or- 
nament of  man  upon  the  earth,  and  distinguishes 
him  from  the  weaker  woman." 

Adam  shed  such  an  abundance  of  tears  that 
all  beasts  and  birds  satisfied  their  thirst  there- 
with ;  but  some  of  them  sunk  into  the  earth,  and, 
as  they  still  contained  some  of  the  juices  of  his 
food  in  Paradise,  produced  the  most  fragrant 
trees  and  spices. 

Eve  also  was  desolate  in  Djidda,  for  she  did 
not  see  Adam,  although  he  was  so  tall  that  his 
head  touched  the  lowest  heaven,  and  the  songs 
of  the  angels  were  distinctly  audible  to  him. 
She  wept  bitterly,  and  her  tears,  which  flowed 
into  the  ocean,  were  changed  into  costly  pearls, 
while  those  which  fell  on  the  earth  brought  forth 
all  beautiful  flowers. 

Adam  and  Eve  lamented  so  loudlv  that  the 


SYMPATHY.  35 

east  wind  carried  Eve's  voice  to  Adam,  while 
the  west  wind  bore  his  to  Eve.  She  wrung  her 
hands  over  her  head,  which  women  in  despair 
are  still  in  the  habit  of  doing ;  while  Adam  laid 
his  right  hand  on  his  beard,  which  custom  is 
still  followed  by  men  in  sorrow  unto  this  day. 

The  tears  flowed  at  last  in  such  torrents  from 
Adam's  eyes,  that  those  of  his  right  eye  started 
the  Euphrates,  while  those  of  his  left  set  the 
Tigris  in  motion. 

All  nature  wept  with  him,  and  the  birds,  and 
beasts,  and  insects,  which  had  fled  from  Adam 
by  reason  of  his  sin,  were  now  touched  by  his 
lamentations,  and  came  back  to  manifest  their 
sympathy. 

First  came  the  locusts,  for  they  were  formed 
out  of  the  earth  which  remained  after  Adam 
was  created.  Of  these  there  are  seven  thousand 
difl^erent  kinds  of  every  color  and  size,  some  even 
as  large  as  an  eagle.  They  are  governed  by  a 
king,  to  whom  Allah  reveals  his  will  whenever 
he  intends  to  chasten  a  wicked  people,  such  as, 
for  instance,  the  Egyptians  were  at  the  time  of 
Pharaoh.  The  black  letters  on  the  back  of  their 
wings  are  ancient  Hebrew,  and  signify,  "  There 
is  but  one  only  God.  He  overcomes  the  mighty, 
and  the  locusts  are  part  of  his  armies,  which  he 
sends  against  sinners."  ' 

When  at  last  the  whole  universe  grew  loud 


36  MERCY    TO    ADAM. 

with  lamentation,  and  all  created  beings,  from 
the  smallest  insect  up  to  the  angels  who  hold 
whole  worlds  in  one  hand,  were  weeping  with 
Adam,  Allah  sent  Gabriel  to  him  with  the  words 
which  were  destined  to  save  also  the  prophet 
Jonah  in  the  whale's  belly : 

"  There  is  no  God  besides  thee.  I  have  sin- 
ned ;  forgive  me  through  Mohammed,  thy  last 
and  greatest  prophet,  whose  name  is  engraved 
upon  thy  holy  throne." 

As  soon  as  Adam  had  pronounced  these 
words  with  penitent  heart,  the  portals  of  heaven 
were  opened  to  him  again,  and  Gabriel  cried, 
"Allah  has  accepted  thy  repentance.  Pray  to 
him,  and  he  will  grant  all  thy  requests,  and 
even  restore  thee  to  Paradise  at  the  appointed 
time."     Adam  prayed : 

"  Defend  me  against  the  future  artifices  of 
Iblis  my  foe  !" 

Allah  replied  : 

"  Say  continually  there  is  no  God  but  one,  and 
thou  shalt  wound  him  as  with  a  poisoned  arrow." 

"  Will  not  the  meats  and  drinks  of  the  earth, 
and  its  dwellings,  ensnare  me  ?" 

"  Drink  water,  eat  clean  animals  slain  in  the 
name  of  Allah,  and  build  mosques  for  thy  abode  ; 
so  shall  Iblis  have  no  power  over  thee." 

"  But  if  he  pursue  me  with  evil  thoughts  and 
dreams  in  the  night  ?" 


iMERCY    TO    EVE.  37 

"  Then  rise  from  thy  couch  and  pray." 

"  O  Allah  !  how  shall  I  always  distinguish 
between  good  and  evil  ?" 

"  I  will  grant  thee  my  guidance  :  two  angels 
shall  dwell  in  thy  heart;  one  to  warn  thee 
against  sin,  the  other  to  lead  thee  to  the  prac- 
tice of  good." 

"  Lord,  assure  me  of  thy  pardon  also  for  my 
future  sins." 

"  This  thou  canst  only  gain  by  works  of  right- 
eousness !  I  shall  punish  sin  but  once,  and  re- 
ward sevenfold  the  good  which  thou  shalt 
do." 

At  the  same  time  the  angel  Michael  was  sent 
to  Eve,  announcing  to  her  also  the  mercy  of 
Allah. 

"  With  what  weapons,"  inquired  she,  "  shall 
I,  who  am  weak  in  heart  and  mind,  fight  against 
sin?" 

"Allah  has  endued  thee  with  the  feeling  of 
shame,  and  through  its  power  thou  shalt  subdue 
thy  passions,  even  as  man  conquers  his  own  by 
faith." 

"  Who  shall  protect  me  against  the  power  of 
man,  who  is  not  only  stronger  in  body  and 
mind,  but  whom  also  the  law  prefers  as  heir  and 
witness  ?" 

"  His  love  and  compassion  toward  thee,  which 
I  have  put  into  his  heart." 
D 


38  MERCY    TO    SATAN. 

"  Will  Allah  grant  me  no  other  token  of  his 
favor?" 

"  Thou  shalt  be  rewarded  for  all  the  pains  of 
motherhood,  and  the  death  of  a  woman  in  child- 
bed shall  be  accounted  as  martyrdom." 

Iblis,  emboldened  by  the  pardon  of  the  human 
pair,  ventured  also  to  pray  for  a  mitigation  of 
his  sentence,  and  obtained  its  deferment  until 
the  resurrection,  as  well  as  an  unlimited  power 
over  sinners  who  do  not  accept  the  word  of  Allah. 
"Where  shall  I  dwell  in  the  mean  time?" 
said  he. 

"In  ruins,  in  tombs,  and  all  other  unclean 
places  shunned  by  man  !" 
"  What  shall  be  my  food  ?" 
"  All  things  slain  in  the  name  of  idols." 
"  How  shall  I  quench  my  thirst  ?" 
"  With  wine  and  intoxicating  liquors  !" 
"  What  shall  occupy  my  leisure  hours  ?" 
"  Music,  song,  love-poetry,  and  dancing." 
"  What  is  my  watchword  ?" 
"The  curse  of  Allah  until  the  day  of  judgment." 
"  But  how  shall  I  contend  with  man,  to  whom 
thou  hast  granted  two  guardian  angels,  and  who 
has  received  thy  revelation  ?" 

"  Thy  progeny  shall  be  more  numerous  than 
his  ;  for  every  man  that  is  born,  there  shall  come 
into  the  world  seven  evil  spirits ;  but  they  shall 
be  powerless  against  the  faithful." 


THE    COVENANT.  39 

Allah  then  made  a  covenant  vi^ith  the  de- 
scendants of  Adam.  He  touched  Adam's  back, 
and  lo  !  the  whole  human  family  which  shall  be 
born  to  the  end  of  time  issued  forth  from  it,  as 
small  as  ants,  and  ranged  themselves  right  and 
left. 

At  the  head  of  the  former  stood  Mohammed, 
with  the  prophets  and  the  rest  of  the  foithful, 
whose  radiant  whiteness  distinguished  them  from 
the  sinners,  who  were  standing  on  Adam's  left, 
headed  by  Kabil  [Cain],  the  murderer  of  his 
brother. 

Allah  then  acquainted  the  progenitor  of  man 
with  the  names  and  destinies  of  each  individual ; 
and  when  it  cam-e  to  King  David  the  prophet's 
turn,  to  whom  was  originally  assigned  a  lifetime 
of  only  thirty  years,  Adam  inquired,  "  How 
many  years  are  appointed  to  me  ?" 

"  One  thousand,"  was  the  answer.* 

"  I  will  renounce  seventy  if  thou  wilt  add 
them  to  the  life  of  David  !" 

Allah  consented  ;  but,  aware  of  Adam's  for- 
getfulness,  directed  this  grant  to  be  recorded  on 
a  parchment,  which  Gabriel  and  Michael  signed 
as  witnesses. f 

*  Nine  hundred  and  thirty  years  was  the  lifetime  of  Adam, 
according  to  Gen.,  v.,  3. 

t  The  Lord  showed  to  Adam  every  future  generation,  with 
their  heads,  sages,  and  scribes.    He  saw  that  David  was  destined 


40  THE    COVENANT. 

Allah  then  cried  to  the  assembled  human 
family,  "  Confess  that  I  am  the  only  God,  and 
that  Mohammed  is  my  messenger."  The  hosts 
to  the  right  made  their  confession  immediately; 
but  those  to  the  left  hesitated,  some  repeating 
but  one  half  of  Allah's  words,  and  others  re- 
maining entirely  silent.  And  Allah  continued  : 
"  The  disobedient  and  impenitent  shall  suffer  the 
pains  of  eternal  fire,  but  the  faithful  shall  be 
blessed  in  Paradise  !" 

"  So  be  it !"  responded  Adam  ;  who  shall  call 
every  man  by  name  in  the  day  of  the  resurrec- 
tion, and  pronounce  his  sentence  according  as 
the  balance  of  justice  shall  decide. 

When  the  covenant  was  concluded,  Allah 
once  more  touched  Adam's  back,  and  the  whole 
human  race  returned  to  him. 

And  when  Allah  was  now  about  to  withdraw 
his  presence  for  the  whole  of  this  life  from  Ad- 
am, the  latter  uttered  so  loud  a  cry,  that  the 

to  live  only  three  hours,  and  said,  "Lord  and  Creator  of  the 
world,  is  this  unalterably  fixed  ?"    The  Lord  answered, 

"  It  was  my  original  design  !" 

"  How  many  years  shall  I  live  ?" 

"  One  thousand." 

"  Are  grants  known  in  Heaven  ?" 

"  Certainly !" 

"I  grant,  then,  seventy  years  of  my  life  to  David  !" 

What  did  Adam  therefore  do  ?  He  gave  a  written  grant,  set 
his  seal  to  it,  and  the  same  was  done  by  the  Lord  and  Metatron. 
—Midrash  Jalkut,  p.  12. 


THE    TEMPLE.  41 

whole  earth  shook  to  its  foundations :  the  All- 
merciful  thereupon  extended  his  clemency,  and 
said,  "  Follow  yonder  cloud ;  it  shall  lead  thee 
to  the  place  which  lies  directly  opposite  my 
heavenly  throne ;  build  me  a  temple  there,  and 
-when  thou  walkest  around  it,  I  shall  be  as  near 
to  thee  as  to  the  angels  which  encompass  my 
throne  !" 

Adam,  who  still  retained  his  original  stature, 
in  a  few  hours  made  the  journey  from  India  to 
Mecca,  where  the  cloud  which  had  conducted 
him  stood  still.  On  Mount  Arafa,  near  Mecca, 
he  found,  to  his  great  joy.  Eve  his  wife,  whence 
also  this  mountain  (from  Arafa,  to  know,  to  rec- 
ognize) derives  its  name.  They  immediately 
began  to  build  a  temple  with  four  gates,  and 
they  called  the  first  gate  the  Gate  of  Adam  ; 
the  second,  the  Gate  of  Abraham  ;  the  third,  the 
Gate  of  Ismael ;  and  the  fourth,  the  Gate  of  Mo- 
hammed. The  plan  of  the  building  they  had 
received  from  the  angel  Gabriel,  who  had,  at 
the  same  time,  brought  them  a  large  diamond 
of  exquisite  brightness,  which  was  afterward 
sullied  by  the  sins  of  men,  and  at  last  became 
entirely  black. 

This  black  stone,  the  most  sacred  treasure  of 

the  blessed  Kaaba,  was  originally  the  angel  who 

guarded  the  forbidden  tree,  and  was  charged  to 

warn  Adam  if  he  should  approach  it,  but,  hav- 

D2 


42  CAIN    AND    ABEL. 

ing  neglected  his  trust,  he  was  changed  into  a 
jewel,  and  at  the  day  of  judgment  he  shall  re- 
sume his  pristine  form  and  return  to  the  holy- 
angels. 

Gabriel  then  instructed  Adam  in  all  the  cere- 
monies of  pilgrimage,  precisely  as  they  were 
instituted  by  Mohammed  at  a  later  period ;  nor 
was  he  permitted  to  behold  Eve  his  wife  until 
the  evening  of  Thursday,  when  the  holy  days 
were  ended. 

On  the  following  morning  Adam  returned 
with  his  wife  to  India,  and  abode  there  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  But  he  went  every 
year  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  until  he  at  last 
lost  his  original  size,  retaining  a  height  of  only 
sixty  yards.  This  diminution  of  his  stature,  ac- 
cording to  the  tradition  of  the  learned,  was 
caused  by  the  excessive  terror  and  grief  which 
he  experienced  in  consequence  of  the  murder 
of  Abel. 

For  Eve  had  born  him  two  sons,  whom  he 
named  Kabil  and  Habil  [Cain  and  Abel],  and 
several  daughters,  whom  he  gave  in  marriage 
to  their  brothers.  The  fairest  of  them  he  in- 
tended for  Abel,  but  Cain  was  displeased,  and 
desired  to  obtain  her,  though  he  had  a  wife  al- 
ready. Adam  referred  the  decision  to  Allah, 
and  said  to  his  sons,  "  Let  each  of  you  offer  a 
sacrifice,  and  he  to  whom  Allah  vouchsafes  a 


DEATH    OF    ABEL.  43 

sign  of  acceptance  shall  marry  her."  Abel  of- 
fered a  fatted  ram,  and  fire  came  down  from 
heaven  and  consumed  it ;  but  Cain  brought  some 
fruits,  which  remained  untouched  upon  the  altar. 
He  was  thereupon  filled  with  envy  and  hatred 
toward  his  brother,  but  knew  not  how  he  might 
destroy  his  life.* 

One  day  Iblis  placed  himself  in  Cain's  way  as 
he  walked  with  Abel  in  the  field,  and  seizing  a 
stone,  shattered  therewith  the  head  of  an  ap- 
proaching wolf;  Cain  followed  his  example,  and 
with  a  large  stone  struck  his  brother's  forehead 
till  he  fell  lifeless  to  the  ground.  Iblis  then  as- 
sumed the  shape  of  a  raven,  and  having  killed 
another  raven,  dug  a  hole  in  the  earth  with  his 
bill,  and  laying  the  dead  one  into  it,  covered  it 
with  the  earth  which  he  had  dug  up.  Cain  did 
the  same  with  his  brother,t  so  that  Adam  was 

*  Cain  and  Abel  divided  the  world  between  them,  the  one 
taking  possession  of  the  movable,  and  the  other  of  the  immovable 
property.  Cain  said  to  his  brother,  "  The  earth  on  which  thou 
standest  is  mine  ;  then  betake  thyself  to  the  air ;"  but  Abel  re- 
plied, "  The  garments  which  thou  wearest  are  mine  ;  take  them 
off!"  There  arose  a  conflict  between  them,  which  ended  hi 
Abel's  death.  R.  Huna  teaches,  They  contended  for  a  twin  sister 
of  Abel's  :  the  latter  claimed  her  because  she  was  born  with  him  ; 
but  Cain  pleaded  his  right  of  primogeniture,— M^c^ras;^,  p.  11. 

t  The  dog  which  had  watched  Abel's  flocks  guarded  also  his 
corpse,  protecting  it  against  the  beasts  and  birds  of  prey.  Adam 
and  Eve  sat  beside  it,  and  wept,  not  knowing  what  to  do.  But  a 
raven,  whose  friend  had  died,  said,  "I  will  go  and  teach  Adam 
what  he  must  do  with  his  son,"  It  dug  a  grave  and  laid  the  dead 
raven  in  it.    When  Adam  saw  this,  he  said  to  Eve,  "  Let  us  do 


44  DISCOVERY    OF    ABELS    CORPSE. 

long  in  ignorance  of  the  fate  of  his  son,  and 
shrunk  together  through  care  and  sorrow.  It 
was  not  until  he  had  fully  learned  what  had  be- 
fallen Abel  that  he  resigned  himself  to  the  will 
of  Allah,  and  was  comforted. 

Now  the  discovery  of  Abel's  corpse  took  place 
in  this  wise :  Since  his  expulsion  from  Eden, 
Adam  had  lived  on  wild  herbs,  fruits,  and  meat, 
when,  at  Allah's  command,  the  angel  Gabriel 
brought  him  the  remaining  grains  of  wheat 
which  Eve  had  plucked,  a  yoke  of  oxen,  the  va- 
rious implements  of  husbandry,  and  instructed 
him  in  ploughing,  sowing,  and  reaping. 

While  he  was  one  day  w^orking  in  the  field, 
his  plough  suddenly  stopped,  nor  were  all  the 
exertions  of  his  cattle  able  to  move  it.  Adam 
struck  the  oxen,  and  the  eldest  of  them  said  to 
him, 

"  Why  dost  thou  strike  me  ?  Did  Allah  strike 
thee  when  thou  wast  disobedient  ?" 

Adam  prayed.  "  O  Allah !  after  thou  hast 
forgiven  my  sin,  shall  every  beast  of  the  field 
be  permitted  to  reprove  me  ?" 

the  same  with  our  child."  The  Lord  rewarded  the  raven,  and  no 
one  is  allowed,  therefore,  to  harm  their  young ;  they  have  food  in 
abundance,  and  their  cry  for  rain  is  always  heard.  R.  Johanan 
teaches,  Cain  was  not  aware  of  the  Lord's  knowledge  of  hidden 
things ;  he  therefore  buried  Abel,  and  replied  to  the  Lord's  in- 
quiry, "  Where  is  Abel,  thy  brother  ?"  "  Am  I  my  brother's  keep- 
er ?"—ilfjdra«^,  p.  11. 


BREAD,  THE  CHIEF  FOOD  OF  MAN.      45 

Allah  heard  him,  and  from  that  moment  the 
brute  creation  lost  the  power  of  speech.  Mean- 
while, as  the  plough  still  remained  immovable, 
Adam  opened  the  ground,  and  found  the  still 
distinguishable  remains  of  his  son  Abel. 

At  the  time  of  harvest,  Gabriel  came  again 
and  instructed  Eve  in  making  bread.  Adam 
then  built  an  oven,  and  Gabriel  brought  fire 
from  hell,  but  first  washed  it  seventy  times  in 
the  sea,  otherwise  it  would  have  consumed  the 
earth  with  all  that  it  contained.  When  the 
bread  was  baked,  he  said  to  Adam, 

"  This  shall  be  thy  and  thy  children's  chief 
nourishment." 

Although  Adam  had  shed  so  many  tears  over 
the  labor  of  the  plough  that  they  served  instead 
of  rain  to  moisten  and  to  fructify  the  seed,  yet 
were  his  descendants  doomed  to  still  greater 
toil  by  reason  of  their  iniquities.  Even  in  the 
days  of  (Enoch)  Idris,  the  grain  of  wheat  was 
no  larger  than  a  goose's  egg :  in  those  of  Elias 
it  shrunk  to  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg :  when  the 
Jews  attempted  to  kill  Christ,  it  became  like  a 
pigeon's  egg ;  and,  finally,  under  Uzier's  (Es- 
dras's)  rule  it  took  its  present  bulk. 

When  Adam  and  Eve  were  fully  instructed 
in  agricultural  cookery,  the  angel  Gabriel 
brought  a  lamb,  and  taught  Adam  to  kill  it  in 
the  name  of  Allah,  to  shear  its  wool,  to  strip  its 


46    •  THE    FORGOTTEN    GRANT. 

hide,  and  to  tan  it.  Eve  spun  and  wove  under 
the  angel's  direction,  making  a  veil  for  herself, 
and  a  garment  for  Adam,  and  both  Adam  and 
Eve  imparted  the  information  which  they  had 
received  from  Gabriel  to  their  grand-children 
and  great-grand-children,  in  number  forty,  or, 
according  to  others,  seventy  thousand. 

After  the  death  of  Abel  and  Cain,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  slain  by  the  blood-avenging  angel. 
Eve  gave  birth  to  a  third  son,  whom  she  called 
Sheth :  he  became  the  father  of  many  sons  and 
daughters,  and  is  the  ancestor  of  all  prophets. 

The  930th  year  of  Adam's  life  came  at  last 
to  its  close,  and  the  Angel  of  Death  appeared 
to  him  in  the  shape  of  an  unsightly  he-goat,  and 
demanded  his  soul,  while  the  earth  opened  under 
his  feet,  and  demanded  his  body.  Adam  trem- 
bled with  fear,  and  said  to  the  Angel  of  Death, 
"  Allah  has  promised  me  a  lifetime  of  a  thou- 
sand years  :  thou  hast  come  too  soon."  "  Hast 
thou  not  granted  seventy  years  of  thy  life  to 
David?"  replied  the  angel.  Adam  denied  it, 
for  he  had  indeed  forgotten  the  circumstance  ; 
but  the  Angel  of  Death  drew  forth  from  his 
beard  the  parchment  in  which  the  grant  was 
written,  and  spread  it  out  before  Adam,  who, 
on  seeing  it,  willingly  gave  up  his  soul. 

His  son  Sheth  washed  and  buried  him,  after 
that  Gabriel,  or,  according  to  others,  Allah  him- 


DEATH    OF    ADAM    AND    EVE.  47 

self,  had  pronounced  a  blessing.  The  same  was 
done  with  Eve,  who  died  in  the  following  year. 
In  regard  to  the  places  of  their  burial,  the 
learned  differ.  Some  have  named  India  ;  other 
traditions  fix  on  Mount  Kubeis,  and  even  on 
Jerusalem.     Allah  alone  is  omniscient. 


48  IDRIS,  OR   ENOCH. 


IDRIS,  OR  ENOCH. 

Idris,  or  Enoch,  was  the  son  of  Jarid,  the  son 
of  Mahlalel,  but  was  called  Idris,  from  darasa 
(to  study),  for  he  was  constantly  occupied  with 
the  study  of  the  holy  books,  both  those  which 
Allah  had  revealed  to  Adam,  and  those  which 
Gabriel  brought  to  him  from  heaven.  He  was 
so  virtuous  and  pious,  that  Allah  anointed  him  to 
be  his  prophet,  and  sent  him  as  a  preacher  to  the 
descendants  of  Cain,  who  only  employed  in  deeds 
of  sin  the  gigantic  frames  and  surpassing  strength 
with  which  Allah  had  endowed  them.  Enoch 
exhorted  them  unceasingly  to  purity  of  conduct, 
and  was  often  compelled  to  draw  his  sword  in 
defense  of  his  life.  He  was  the  first  who  fought 
for  Allah,  the  first  who  invented  the  balance  to 
prevent  deception  in  traffic,  and  the  first  also  to 
sew  garments,  and  to  w^rite  with  the  Kalam. 
Idris  longed  ardently  for  Parad ise ;  still  he  was  not 
desirous  of  death,  for  he  was  anxious  to  do  good 
on  the  earth ;  and  but  for  his  preaching  and  his 
sword,*  the  sons  of  Cain  would  have  flooded 
the  earth  with  iniquity.  Allah  sent  him  the 
Angel  of  Death  in  the  form  of  a  beautiful  virgin, 
in  order  to  see  whether  he  would  approve  him- 

*  See  the  E.  Translator's  Preface. 


THE    TEMPTATION.  49 

self  worthy  of  the  peculiar  favor  which  no  man 
before  him  had  ever  received. 

"  Come  with  me,"  said  the  disguised  angel  to 
Idris,  "  and  thou  shalt  do  an  acceptable  work  to 
Allah.  My  younger  sister  has  been  carried  off 
by  an  ungodly  descendant  of  Cain,  who  has  con- 
fined her  in  the  farthest  regions  of  the  West ! 
Gird  on  thy  sword,  and  help  me  to  deliver 
her  !" 

Enoch  girded  on  his  sword,  and  took  up  his 
bow  and  the  club,  with  which  he  had  laid  low  at 
a  single  stroke  whole  ranks  of  the  enemy,  and 
followed  the  virgin  from  morn  till  eve,  through 
desolate  and  arid  deserts,  but  he  said  not  a  word 
and  looked  not  upon  her.  At  nightfall  she  erect- 
ed a  tent,  but  Idris  laid  himself  down  at  its  en- 
trance to  sleep  on  the  stony  ground.  On  her 
inviting  him  to  &hare  her  tent  with  her,  he  an- 
swered, "  If  thou  hast  any  thing  to  eat,  give  it 
to  me."  She  pointed  to  a  sheep  which  was 
roving  through  the  desert  without  a  keeper,  but 
he  said,  "  I  prefer  hunger  to  theft ;  the  sheep 
belongs  to  another." 

Next  day  they  continued  their  journey  as  be- 
fore, Idris  still  following  the  virgin  and  uttering 
no  complaint,  though  he  was  nearly  overcome 
with  hunger  and  thirst.  Toward  evening  they 
found  a  bottle  of  water  on  the  ground.  The 
virgin  took  it  up,  and  opening  it,  would  have 

4  E 


50         TEMPTATION,  FIRMNESS,  AND   REWARD. 

forced  Enoch  to  drink,  but  he  refused,  and  said, 
"  Some  luckless  traveler  has  lost  it,  and  will  re- 
turn to  seek  for  it." 

During  the  night,  Idris  having  once  more 
baffled  all  the  wiles  of  the  virgin,  who  had  again 
endeavored  to  draw  him  into  her  tent,  Allah 
caused  a  spring  of  clear  fresh  water  to  gush 
forth  at  his  feet,  and  a  date-tree  to  rise  up  laden 
with  the  choicest  fruit.  Idris  invited  the  virgin 
to  eat  and  to  drink,  and  concealed  himself  be- 
hind the  tree,  waiting  her  return  to  the  tent ; 
but  when,  after  a  long  interval,  she  came  not, 
he  stepped  to  the  door  and  said, "  Who  art  thou, 
singular  maiden?  These  two  days  thou  hast 
been  without  nourishment,  and  art  even  now 
unwilling  to  break  thy  fast,  though  Allah  him- 
self has  miraculously  supplied  us  with  meat  and 
drink ;  and  yet  thou  art  fresh  and  blooming  like 
the  dewy  rose  in  spring,  and  thy  form  is  full 
and  rounded  like  the  moon  in  her  fifteenth 
night." 

"I  am  the  Angel  of  Death,"  she  replied,  "sent 
by  Allah  to  prove  thee.  Thou  hast  conquered  ; 
ask  now,  and  he  will  assuredly  fulfill  all  thy 
wishes." 

"If  thou  art  the  Angel  of  Death,  take  my  soul." 

"  Death  is  bitter :  wherefore  desirest  thou  to 
die?" 

"I  will  pray  to  Allah  to  animate  me  once 


MALIK.  51 

more,  that  after  the  terrors  of  the  grave,  I  may 
serve  him  with  greater  zeal." 

"  Wilt  thou,  then,  die  twice  ?  Thy  time  has 
not  yet  come  :  but  pray  thou  to  Allah,  and  I 
shall  execute  his  will." 

Enoch  prayed : 

"  Lord,  permit  the  Angel  of  Death  to  let  me 
taste  death,  but  recall  me  soon  to  life !  Art  thou 
not  almighty  and  merciful  ?" 

The  Angel  of  Death  was  commanded  to  take 
the  soul  of  Idris,  but  at  the  same  moment  to  re- 
store it  to  him.  On  his  return  to  life,  Idris  re- 
quested the  angel  to  show  him  Hell,  that  he 
might  be  in  a  position  to  describe  it  to  sinners 
with  all  its  terrors.  The  angel  led  him  to  Ma- 
lik, its  keeper,  who  seized  him,  and  was  in  the 
act  of  flinging  him  into  the  abyss,  when  a  voice 
from  heaven  exclaimed, 

"  Malik,  beware !  Harm  not  my  prophet  Idris, 
but  show  him  the  terrors  of  thy  kingdom." 

He  then  placed  him  on  the  wall  which  sepa- 
rates hell  from  the  place  appointed  as  the  abode 
of  those  who  have  merited  neither  hell  nor  heav- 
en. Thence  he  saw  every  variety  of  scorpions 
and  other  venomous  reptiles,  and  vast  flames  of 
fire,  monstrous  caldrons  of  boiling  water,  trees 
with  prickly  fruits,  rivers  of  blood  and  putrefac- 
tion, red-hot  chains,  garments  of  pitch,  and  so 
many  other  objects  prepared  for  the  torture  of 


52  THE    TRANSLATION. 

sinners,  that  he  besought  Mahk  to  spare  him 
their  farther  inspection,  and  to  consign  him  once 
more  to  the  Angel  of  Death. 

Idris  now  prayed  the  latter  to  show  him  Par- 
adise also.  The  angel  conducted  him  to  the 
gate  before  which  Ridwhan  kept  his  watch. 
But  the  guardian  would  not  suffer  him  to  enter : 
then  Allah  commanded  the  tree  Tuba,  which  is 
planted  in  the  midst  of  the  garden,  and  is  known 
to  be,  after  Sirdrat  Almuntaha,  the  most  beautiful 
and  tallest  tree  of  Paradise,  to  bend  its  branches 
over  the  wall.  Idris  seized  hold  of  them,  and 
was  drawn  in  unobserved  by  Ridwhan.  The 
Angel  of  Death  attempted  to  prevent  it,  but  Al- 
lah said,  "  Wilt  thou  slay  him  twice  ?"  Thus  it 
came  to  pass  that  Idris  was  taken  alive  into  Par- 
adise, and  was  permitted  by  the  most  gracious 
One  to  remain  there  in  spite  of  the  Angel  of 
Death  and  of  Ridwhan.* 

*  In  the  Bible  it  is  said  the  Lord  took  Enoch  ;  but  the  Midrash 
adds,  nine  human  beings  entered  Paradise  alive :  Enoch,  Messi- 
ah, Elias,  Eliezer  the  servant  of  Abraham,  the  servant  of  the 
Kmg  of  Kush,  Chiram  the  King  of  Tyre,  Jaabez,  the  son  of  the 
Prince  and  Rabbi  Juda,  Serach  the  daughter  of  Asher,  and  Bitja 
the  daughter  of  Pharaoh. 


NOAH,  HUD,  AND  SALIH. 

After  the  translation  of  Idris,  the  depravity 
of  men  waxed  so  mightily,  that  Allah  deter- 
mined to  destroy  them  by  a  flood.  But  the 
prophet  Noah,  who  had  in  vain  attempted  to 
restore  his  followers  to  the  path  of  virtue,  was 
saved :  for  Allah  commanded  him  to  build  an 
ark  for  himself  and  family,  and  to  enter  it  as 
soon  as  his  wife  should  see  the  scalding  waters 
streaming  from  the  oven.*  This  was  the  be- 
ginning of  the  flood ;  for  it  was  followed  by  in- 
cessant rains  from  heaven  (as  from  well-filled 
leathern  bottles  into  which  a  sharp  instrument 
has  been  plunged),  which  mingling  with  the 
subterraneous  waters  that  issued  forth  from  all 
the  veins  of  the  earth,  produced  an  inundation 
which  none  save  the  giant  Audj  the  son  of  Anak 
survived. f  The  ark  floated  during  forty  days 
from  one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other,  passing 

*  The  generation  of  the  flood  was  chastised  with  scalding  wa- 
ter.— Midrash,  p.  14. 

t  Besides  Noah,  Og  the  King  of  Bashan  was  saved,  for  he 
seized  hold  on  one  of  the  beams  of  the  ark,  and  swore  to  Noah 
that  he  and  his  posterity  would  serve  him  as  bondmen.  Noah 
made  an  opening  through  the  wall  of  the  ark,  and  gave  Og  some 
food  daily,  for  it  is  written,  "  Only  Og  the  King  of  Bashan  sur- 
vived of  all  the  giants." — Midrash,  p.  14. 

E  2 


54  THE    RELAPSE. 

over  the  highest  mountains ;  but  when  it  came 
to  Mount  Abu  Kubeis,  on  whose  peak  Allah  had 
concealed  the  black  diamond  of  the  Kaaba,  that 
it  might  serve  in  the  second  building  of  this 
blessed  temple,  it  rode  seven  times  round  the 
sacred  spot.  At  the  lapse  of  six  months  the  ark 
rested  on  Mount  Djudi  in  Mesopotamia,  and 
Noah  left  it  as  soon  as  the  dove  which  he  had 
sent  to  examine  the  state  of  the  earth  returned 
with  an  olive  leaf  in  its  mouth.  Noah  blessed 
the  dove,  and  Allah  gave  her  a  necklace  of 
green  feathers ;  but  the  raven  which  Noah  had 
sent  out  before  the  dove,  he  cursed,  because,  in- 
stead of  returning  to  him,  it  stayed  to  feast  on  a 
carcass  which  it  found  on  the  earth,*  wherefore 
the  raven  is  no  longer  able  to  walk  like  other 
birds. 

But,  spite  of  the  calamities  of  the  flood,  which 
Allah  intended  to  serve  forever  as  a  warning 
against  sin,  Iblis  soon  succeeded  in  banishing 
virtue  and  goodness  from  the  human  family  as 
before.  Even  Noah's  sons,  Cham  and  Japhet, 
forgot  the  reverence  that  was  due  to  their  fa- 
,  ther,  and  left  him  uncovered  when  one  day  they 
found  him  asleep.     Cham  even  derided  him,  and 


*  The  Midrash,  p.  15,  relates  the  same,  and  draws  from  it  the 
conclusion  that  no  one  should  seek  to  accomphsh  his  ends  by 
(unclean)  unlawful  means :  the  raven  being  unclean  (unlawful), 
but  the  dove  being  clean. 


THE    ENCHANTED    CITY.  55 

became  on  this  account  the  father  of  all  the 
black  races  of  mankind.  Japhet's  descendants 
remained  white,  indeed,  but  it  was  written  that 
none  of  them  should  attain  to  the  dignity  of  a 
prophet.  Sham  (Shem)  is  the  sole  ancestor  of 
the  prophets,  among  whom  Hud  and  Salih,  who 
lived  immediately  after  the  flood,  attained  to 
high  distinction.*  Hud  was  sent  to  the  nation 
of  giants  which  dwelt  in  Edom,  a  province  of 
the  Southern  Arabia,  then  governed  by  King 
Shaddad,  the  son  of  Aad.  When  the  prophet 
exhorted  this  king  to  the  faith  and  fear  of  Allah, 
he  inquired,  "  What  shall  be  the  reward  of  my 
obedience  ?"  "  My  Lord,"  replied  the  prophet, 
"  will  give  thee  in  the  life  to  come,  gardens  of 
eternal  verdure,  and  palaces  of  gold  and  jew- 
els." But  the  king  answered,  "I  stand  not  in 
need  of  thy  promises,  for  I  can  even  in  this 
world  build  me  gardens  and  pleasure-houses  of 
gold,  and  costly  pearls,  and  jewels."  He  then 
built  Irem,  and  called  it  the  City  of  Columns, 
for  each  of  its  palaces  rested  on  a  thousand  col- 
umns of  rubies  and  emeralds,  and  each  column 
was  a  hundred  cubits  high.  He  next  construct- 
ed canals,  and  planted  gardens  teeming  with  the 
finest  fruit-trees  and  the  fairest  flowers. 

*  Hud  is  probably  the  Eber  of  the  Scriptures,  whom  the  Rab- 
bis esteem  as  a  prophet,  and  the  founder  of  a  celebrated  school 
of  divinity. 


56     THE    LOST    TRIBES    OF    HUD    AND    THAMUD. 

When  all  was  completed  with  prodigal  mag- 
nificence, Shaddad  said, "  I  am  now  in  actual  pos- 
session of  all  that  Hud  has  promised  me  for  the 
life  to  come."  But  when  he  would  have  made 
his  entrance  into  the  city,  Allah  concealed  it 
from  him  and  his  followers,  nor  has  it  since  been 
seen  by  man,  save  once  in  the  reign  of  Maccavia. 

The  king  and  his  people  then  wandered 
through  the  wilderness  in  rain  and  tempest,  and 
at  last  sought  shelter  in  caves.  But  Allah  caused 
them  to  fall  in,  and  only  Hud  escaped. 

The  destruction  of  this  tribe  induced  their 
kinsmen,  the  Thamudites,  who  numbered  sev- 
enty thousand  warriors,  to  choose  the  regions 
between  Syria  and  Hedjaz  as  their  abode,  for 
they  also  feared  to  be  destroyed,  and  hoped  to 
secure  themselves  against  the  wrath  of  Allah  by 
building  their  houses  in  the  rocks.  Djundu  Eben 
Omer,  the  king  of  the  Thamudites,  built  him  a 
palace  there,  whose  splendor  had  never  been 
equaled  on  earth,  and  the  high-priest  Kanuch 
erected  a  similar  one  for  himself  But  their 
most  costly  and  most  perfect  building  was  the 
temple.  In  it  there  stood  an  idol  of  the  finest 
gold,  and  adorned  with  precious  stones :  it  had 
a  human  face,  a  lion's  figure,  a  bull's  neck,  and 
a  horse's  feet.  One  day,  when  Kanuch,  after 
his  prayers,  had  fallen  asleep  in  the  temple,  he 
heard  a  voice  which  said,  "  Truth  shall  appear, 


THE    HIGFI-PRIESTS.  57 

and  delusion  shall  vanish."  He  sprang  to  his 
feet  in  terror,  and  rushed  toward  the  idol,  but 
lo  !  it  was  lying  on  the  ground,  and  beside  it  lay 
the  crown  which  had  fallen  from  its  head.  Ka- 
nuch  cried  for  help ;  the  king  and  his  viziers 
hastened  to  the  spot,  restored  the  idol  to  its  place, 
and  replaced  the  crown  on  its  head.  But  the 
occurrence  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  high- 
priest's  mind.  His  faith  in  the  idol  failed,  and 
his  zeal  to  serve  it  cooled.  The  king  soon  dis- 
covered the  change  that  had  passed  within  him, 
and  one  day  sent  both  his  viziers  to  apprehend 
and  to  examine  him.  But  scarcely  had  his  mes- 
sengers left  the  royal  palace  when  they  were 
struck  blind,  and  were  unable  to  find  Kanuch's 
dwelling.  Mean  while,  Allah  sent  two  angels, 
who  carried  the  high-priest  to  a  distant  valley 
unknown  to  his  tribe,  where  a  shady  grotto, 
supplied  with  every  convenience  of  life,  was 
prepared  for  him.  Here  he  hved  peaceably  in 
the  service  of  the  one  God,  and  secure  against 
the  persecutions  of  Djundu,  who  in  vain  sent  out 
messengers  in  every  direction  to  discover  him. 
The  king  gave  up,  at  length,  all  hope  of  his  cap- 
ture, and  appointed  his  own  cousin,  Davud,  as 
high-priest  in  Kanuch's  stead.  But  on  the  third 
day  after  his  inauguration,  Davud  came  to  the 
king  in  haste,  and  reported  that  the  idol  had 
again  fallen  from  its  place.     The  king  once  more 


58  THE    BIHD    FROM    PARADISE. 

restored  it,  and  Iblis  cried  from  the  idol,  "  Be 
steadfast  in  my  worship,  and  resist  all  the  temp- 
tations into  which  some  innovators  would  lead 
you."  On  the  following  feast-day,  when  Davud 
was  about  to  offer  two  fat  bulls  to  the  idol,  they 
said  to  him,  with  a  human  voice,  "  Why  will  you 
offer  us,  whom  Allah  has  endued  with  life,  as  a 
sacrifice  to  a  dead  mass  of  gold,  which  your 
own  hands  have  dug  from  the  earth,  though  Al- 
lah has  created  it  ?  Destroy,  O  Allah,  so  sinful 
a  people !"  At  these  words  the  bulls  fled,  nor 
were  the  swiftest  riders  of  the  king  able  to  over- 
take them.  Yet  it  pleased  Allah,  in  his  wisdom 
and  long  suffering,  to  spare  the  Thamudites  still 
longer,  and  to  send  to  them  a  prophet  who 
should  labor  by  many  wonders  to  convince  them 
of  the  truth. 

Ragwha,  the  wife  of  Kanuch,  had  not  ceased 
to  mourn  since  the  flight  of  her  husband  ;  yet  in 
the  third  year,  Allah  sent  to  her  a  bird  from 
Paradise,  to  conduct  her  to  his  grotto.  This 
bird  was  a  raven,  but  its  head  was  as  white  as 
snow,  its  back  was  of  emerald,  its  feet  were  of 
crimson,  its  beak  was  like  the  clearest  sunbeam, 
and  its  eyes  shone  like  diamonds,  only  its  breast 
was  black,  for  the  curse  of  Noah,  which  made 
all  ravens  entirely  black,  had  not  fallen  on  this 
sacred  bird.  It  was  the  hour  of  midnight  when 
it  stepped  into  Ragwha's  dark  chamber,  where 


SALIH.  59 

she  lay  weeping  on  a  carpet,  but  the  glance  of 
its  eyes  lit  up  the  chamber  as  if  the  sun  had  sud- 
denly risen  therein.  She  rose  from  her  couch, 
and  gazed  with  wonder  on  the  beautiful  bird, 
which  opened  its  mouth  and  said,  "  Rise  and 
follow  me,  for  Allah  has  pitied  thy  tears,  and 
will  unite  thee  to  thy  husband."  She  rose  and 
followed  the  raven,  which  flew  before  her,  chang- 
ing the  night  into  day  by  the  light  of  its  eyes, 
and  the  morning  star  had  not  yet  risen  when 
she  arrived  at  the  grotto.  The  raven  now  cried, 
"  Kanuch,  arise,  and  admit  thy  wife,"  and  then 
vanished. 

Within  a  year  after  their  reunion  she  gave 
birth  to  a  son,  who  was  the  very  image  of  Seth, 
and  the  light  of  prophecy  shone  on  his  brow. 
His  father  called  him  Salih  (the  pious),  for  he 
trusted  to  bring  him  up  in  the  faith  of  the  one 
only  God,  and  in  piety  of  life ;  but  soon  after 
Salih's  birth  Kanuch  died,  and  the  raven  from 
Paradise  came  again  to  the  grotto  to  take  back 
Ragwha  and  her  son  to  the  city  of  Djundu, 
where  Salih  grew  rapidly  in  mind  and  body,  to 
the  admiration  of  his  mother,  and  of  all  who 
came  to  visit  them  ;  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  was  the  most  powerful  and  handsome,  as  well 
as  the  most  gifted  youth  of  his  time. 

It  then  came  to  pass  that  the  descendants  of 
Ham  undertook  an  expedition  against  the  Tha- 


60  SALIH. 

mudites,  and  were  to  all  appearance  on  the  point 
of  destroying  them.  Their  best  warriors  had 
already  fallen,  and  the  rest  were  preparing  for 
flight,  when  Salih  suddenly  appeared  on  the  bat- 
tle-field at  the  head  of  a  few  of  his  friends,  and 
by  his  personal  valor  and  excellent  mana3uvres 
wrested  the  victory  from  the  enemy,  and  routed 
them  completely.  This  achievement  secured  to 
him  the  love  and  gratitude  of  the  more  virtuous 
part  of  his  tribe,  but  the  king  envied  him  from 
this  day,  and  sought  after  his  life.  Yet  as  often 
as  the  assassins  came  to  Salih's  dwelling  to  slay 
him  by  the  king's  command,  their  hands  were 
paralyzed,  and  were  only  restored  by  Salih's  in- 
tercession with  Allah.  In  this  wise,  the  believ- 
ers in  Salih  and  his  invisible  God  gradually  in- 
creased, so  that  there  was  soon  formed  a  com- 
munity of  forty  men,  who  built  a  mosque,  in 
which  they  worshiped  in  common. 

One  day  the  king  surrounded  the  mosque  with 
his  soldiers,  and  threatened  Salih  and  his  adhe- 
rents with  death  unless  Allah  should  save  them  by 
a  special  miracle.  Salih  prayed,  and  the  leaves 
of  the  date-tree  that  grew  before  the  mosque 
were  instantly  changed  to  scorpions  and  adders, 
which  fell  upon  the  king  and  his  men,  while  two 
doves  which  dwelt  on  the  roof  of  the  mosque  ex- 
claimed, "  Believe  in  Salih,  for  he  is  the  prophet 
and  messenger  of  Allah."     To  this  twofold  won- 


THE    SLEEP.  61 

der  a  second  and  third  one  were  added,  for  at 
Salih's  prayer  the  tree  resumed  its  former  shape, 
and  some  of  the  Thamudites  who  had  been  kill- 
ed by  the  serpents  returned  to  life  again. 

But  the  king  continued  in  unbelief,  for  Iblis 
spoke  from  the  mouth  of  the  idol,  calling  Sahh  a 
magician  and  a  demon. 

The  tribe  was  then  visited  by  famine,  but  this 
also  failed  to  convert  them.  When  Salih  beheld 
the  stubbornness  of  the  Thamudites,  he  prayed 
to  Allah  to  destroy  so  sinful  a  people. 

But  he  too,  like  his  father,  was  carried  by  an 
angel  to  a  subterraneous  cave  in  sleep,  and  slept 
there  twenty  years.  On  waking,  he  was  about 
to  go  into  the  mosque  to  perform  his  morning 
devotions,  for  he  imagined  that  he  had  slept  only 
one  night ;  but  the  mosque  lay  in  ruins  ;  he  then 
went  to  see  his  friends  and  followers,  but  some 
of  them  were  dead  ;  others,  in  the  idea  that  he 
had  abandoned  them  or  been  secretly  slain,  had 
gone  to  other  countries,  or  returned  to  idolatry. 
Salih  knew  not  what  to  do.  Then  appeared  to 
him  the  angel  Gabriel,  and  said,  "  Because  thou 
hast  hastily  condemned  thy  people,  Allah  has 
taken  from  thee  twenty  years  of  thy  life ;  and 
thou  hast  passed  them  sleeping  in  the  cave.* 

*  The  idea  of  a  prophet's  intercession  with  God  is  of  Scrip- 
tural origin.  Abraham  and  Moses  interceded  with  God,  the  one 
for  Sodom,  the  other  for  his  people  ;  and,  according  to  the  He- 

F 


62  THE    REPROOF. 

But  rise  and  preach  again.  Allah  sends  thee 
here  Adam's  shirt,  Abel's  sandals,  the  tunic  of 
Sheth,  the  seal  of  Idris,'  the  sword  of  Noah,  and 
the  staff  of  Hud,  with  all  of  which  thou  shalt 
perform  many  wonders  to  confirm  thy  words." 
On  the  following  day,  the  king,  and  priests,  and 
heads  of  the  people,  attended  by  many  citizens, 
went  in  procession  to  a  neighboring  chapel,  in 
which  an  idol,  similar  to  that  of  the  temple,  was 
worshiped.  Salih  stepped  between  the  king 
and  the  door  of  the  chapel ;  and  when  the  king 
asked  him  who  he  was,  for  Salih's  appearance 
had  so  changed  during  the  twenty  years  which 
he  had  spent  in  the  cavern  that  the  king  did  not 
recognize  him,  he  answered,  "  I  am  Salih,  the 
messenger  of  the  one  only  God,  who,  twenty 
years  ago,  preached  to  thee,  and  showed  thee 
many  clear  proofs  of  the  truth  of  my  mission. 
But  since  thou,  as  I  perceive,  still  persistest  in 
idolatry,  1  once  more  appear  before  thee  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  and  by  his  permission  offer  to 

brew  legend,  the  Jews,  on  hearing  Isaiah  denouncing  the  judg- 
ments of  God,  threatened  to  put  him  to  death,  because  he  had  not 
sought  to  turn  away  His  wrath,  as  Moses  had  done  under  similar 
circumstances.  Our  Savior's  parable  of  the  gardener,  who  beg- 
ged another  year's  respite  for  the  unfruitful  tree,  is  on  the  same 
principle.  So  is  also  Christ's  reproof  to  his  disciples,  when  they 
would  have  called  down  fire  from  Heaven.  The  punishment  of 
Salih,  therefore,  however  prettily  introduced,  must,  like  every 
other  truth  of  the  Koran,  be  referred  to  the  knowledge  which  the 
Moslem  had  of  the  Scriptures.— £  T. 


THE  TEST.  63 

perform  before  thine  eyes  any  miracle  thou  may- 
est  desire  in  testimony  of  my  prophetic  calHng." 

The  king  took  counsel  with  Shihab  his  broth- 
er, and  Davud  his  high-priest,  who  stood  neai 
him.  Then  said  the  latter, "  If  he  be  the  messen- 
ger of  Allah,  let  a  camel  come  forth  from  this 
rocky  mountain,  one  hundred  cubits  high,  with 
all  imaginable  colors  united  on  its  back,  with 
eyes  flaming  like  lightning,  with  a  voice  like 
thunder,  and  with  feet  swifter  than  the  wind." 
When  Salih  declared  his  readiness  to  produce 
such  a  camel,  Davud  added,  "  Its  fore  legs  must 
be  of  gold,  and  its  hind  legs  of  silver,  its  head 
of  emerald,  and  its  ears  of  rubies,  and  its  back 
must  bear  a  silken  tent,  supported  on  four  dia- 
mond pillars  inlaid  with  gold."  Salih  was  not 
deterred  by  all  these  additional  requirements ; 
and  the  king  added,  "  Hear,  O  Salih  !  if  thou  be 
the  prophet  of  Allah,  let  this  mountain  be  cleft 
open,  and  a  camel  step  forth  with  skin,  hair, 
flesh,  blood,  bones,  muscles,  and  veins,  like  other 
camels,  only  much  larger,  and  let  it  immediately 
give  birth  to  a  young  camel,  which  shall  follow 
it  every  where  as  a  child  follows  its  mother,  and 
when  scarcely  produced,  exclaim,  '  There  is 
but  one  Allah,  and  Salih  is  his  messenger  and 
prophet.' " 

"  And  will  you  turn  to  Allah  if  I  pray  to  him, 
and  if  he  perform  such  a  miracle  before  your 
eyes  ?'' 


64  GREEDY    SKEPTICS. 

"Assuredly!"  replied  Davud.  "Yet  must 
this  camel  yield  its  milk  spontaneously,  and  the 
milk  must  be  cold  in  summer  and  warm  in 
winter." 

"  Are  these  all  your  conditions  ?"  asked  Salih. 

"  Still  farther  "  continued  Shihab  ;  "  the  milk 
must  heal  all  diseases,  and  enrich  all  the  poor ; 
and  the  camel  must  go  alone  to  every  aouse, 
calling  the  inmates  by  name,  and  filling  all  their 
empty  vessels  with  its  milk." 

"  Thy  will  be  done  !"  replied  Salih.  "Yet  I 
must  also  stipulate  that  no  one  shall  harm  the 
camel,  or  drive  it  from  its  pasture,  or  ride  on  it, 
or  use  it  for  any  labor." 

On  their  swearing  to  him  to  treat  the  camel 
as  a  holy  thing,  Salih  prayed :  "  O  God  !  who 
hast  created  Adam  out  of  the  earth,  and  formed 
Eve  from  a  rib,  and  to  whom  the  hardest  things 
are  easy,  let  these  rocks  bring  forth  a  camel, 
such  as  their  king  has  described,  for  the  conver- 
sion of  the  Thamudites." 

Scarcely  had  Salih  concluded  his  prayer, 
when  the  earth  opened  at  his  feet,  and  there 
gushed  forth  a  fountain  of  fresh  water  fragrant 
with  musk  :  the  tent  which  had  been  erected  for 
Adam  in  Paradise  descended  from  heaven,  and 
thereupon  the  rocky  wall  which  supported  the 
eastern  side  of  the  temple  groaned  like  a  woman 
in  travail ;  a  flight  of  birds  descended,  and  filling 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE. 


Dr.  Weil  has  stated,  in  his  Introduction  to 
these  Legends,  that  he  chiefly  extracted  then> 
from  original  Arabic  records,  which  are  still  re- 
ceived by  Mohammedans  as  the  inspired  biog- 
raphies of  the  ancient  patriarchs  and  prophets. 

It  must  still  farther  be  added  that  the  leading 
ideas  of  these  Mohammedan  legends,  /.  e.,  their 
prominent  historical  narratives,  and  the  doc- 
trines and  precepts  which  they  either  state  ex- 
pressly or  imply,  are  contained  in  the  Koran. 
In  some  instances  it  gives  their  minutest  partic- 
ulars. Indeed,  it  would  seem  as  if  these  legends 
formed  part,  at  least,  of  what  the  founder  of  the 
Mohammedan  fliith  terms  "  the  mother  of  the 
book,"  indicating  that  they  preceded  his  Koran 
in  order  of  time,  and  embodied  the  germ  of  that 
faith  which  he  subsequently  developed. 

This  idea  is  suggested  by  the  learned  German 
compiler,  and  is  corroborated  by  the  fact  that 


IV  PREFACE. 

the  legends  were  unknown  to  the  Arabs  before 
Mohammed  began  to  preach,  while  in  the  Ko- 
ran he  refers  to  them  as  already  familiar  to  his 
hearers. 

But,  be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  certain  that  the 
fact  of  their  leading  ideas  being  found  in  the 
Koran  invests  them  with  divine  authority  to  the 
faithful  Moslem,  for  it  is  a  primary  article  of  his 
creed  that  every  thing  contained  in  the  Koran 
is  of  Allah.  On  first  reading  these  legends,  it 
therefore  occurred  to  the  writer  that  they  might 
be  a  valuable  acquisition,  as  an  epitome  of  Mo- 
hammedan theology  and  morals.  And  their 
peculiar  character,  their  constant  allusion  to 
scriptural  facts,  with  which  most  Bible  readers 
strongly  identify  themselves,  their  novel,  and 
gorgeous,  and  often  sublime  inventions,  invest- 
ing them  at  once  with  the  fidelity  of  historical 
detail,  and  the  freshness  and  fascination  of  Ori- 
•ental  fiction,  seem  to  fit  them  especially  for  pop- 
ular instruction.  If  it  be  asked  what  benefit 
may  be  derived  from  promulgating  the  tenets  of 
a  professedly  erroneous  system,  it  is  replied  that 
a  distinction  ought  to  be  observed  between  the 
false  systems  that  hnve  ceased  to  bo  believed. 


PREFACE.  V 

and  those  which  are  still  maintained  as  divine 
truths  by  any  portion  of  mankind. 

It  may  be  questioned  whether  the  former 
ought  at  all  to  be  taught,  although  there  are 
reasons  why  even  the  exploded  mythology  of 
the  ancients  should  be  known ;  but  respecting 
the  second  class,  to  which  the  religion  of  Mo- 
hammed belongs,  there  should  be  but  one  opin- 
ion. 

Our  Redeemer  has  committed  to  us,  in  part, 
the  propagation  of  his  holy  faith,  by  which  alone 
he  declares  that  mankind  shall  attain  to  that  ho- 
liness, peace,  and  glory  for  which  they  have 
been  created.  The  exhibitfon,  therefore,  in  the 
stewards  of  the  Gospel,  of  a  false  religion,  in 
which,  as  in  the  case  before  us,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  millions  of  our  immortal  race  are  at  this 
moment  staking  their  all,  can  not  but  be  impor- 
tant, at  once  to  awaken  within  us  feelings  of 
deep  and  active  charity  for  these  benighted  mul- 
titudes, and  to  furnish  us  with  the  requisite  in- 
telligence for  effectually  combating  their  griev- 
ous errors  with  the  weapons  of  truth. 

Should  the  public  feel  any  interest  in  this 
work,  the  translator  proposes,  in  a  future  vol- 
A2 


VI  PREFACE. 

ume,  to  discuss  the  legendary  principle  at  some 
length,  and  to  show  the  analogy  of  its  practical 
working  in  the  Jewish,  the  Mohammedan,  and 
Roman  Catholic  systems  of  religion. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Mohammed  has  been  frequently  reproached 
with  having  altered  and  added  most  arbitr^irily 
to  the  religious  history  of  the  Jews  and  Christ- 
ians, two  important  considerations  not  being 
sufficiently  borne  in  mind.  In  the  first  place, 
it  is  probable  that  Mohammed  learned  only  late 
in  life  to  write,  or  even  to  read  the  Arabic,  and 
he  was  unquestionably  ignorant  of  every  other 
spoken  or  written  language,  as  is  sufficiently  ap- 
parent from  historical  testimony  :  hence  he  was 
unable  to  draw  from  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments for  himself,  and  was  entirely  restricted  to 
oral  instruction  from  Jews  and  Christians. 

Secondly,  Mohammed  himself  declared  both 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  as  possessed  by 
the  Jews  and  Christians  of  his  time,  to  have  been 
falsified  ;  and,  consequently,  his  own  divine  mis- 
sion could  be  expected  to  agree  with  those  writ- 
ings only  in  part.  But  the  turning-point  on 
which  the  greater  portion  of  the  Koran  hinges 
— the  doctrine  of  the  unitij  of  God,  a  doctrine 
which  he  embraced  with  the  utmost  consistency, 
and  armed  with  which  he  appeared  as  a  prophet 
before  the  pagan  Arabs,  who  were  addicted  to 


Vlll  INTRUUUCTIOiX. 

the  most  diversified  Polytheism  —  appeared  to 
him  much  obscured  in  the  Gospels,  and  he  was 
therefore  forced  to  protest  against  their  genu- 
ineness. 

But  with  regard  to  the  writings  of  the  Jews 
of  the  Old  Testament,  which  he  had  received 
from  'the  mouth  of  his  Jewish  contemporaries, 
he  w^as  induced  to  believe,  or,  at  least,  pretend- 
ed to  believe,  that  they  too  had  undergone  many 
changes,  inasmuch  as  Ismael,  from  whom  he 
was  sprung,  was  evidently  treated  therein  as  a 
step-child,  or  as  the  son  of  a  discarded  slave, 
whereas  Abraham's  paternal  love  and  solicitude, 
as  w^ell  as  the  special  favor  of  the  Lord,  were 
the  exclusive  portion  of  Isaac  and  his  descend- 
ants. The  predictions  respecting  the  Messiah, 
too,  as  declared  in  the  writings  of  the  Prophets, 
appeared  to  him  incompatible  with  the  faith  in 
himself  as  the  seal  of  the  Prophets.  Moreover, 
Mohammed  was  probably  indebted  for  his  reli- 
gious education  to  a  man  who,  abandoning  the 
religion  of  Arabia,  his  native  country,  had  sought 
refuge  first  in  Judaism,  and  then  in  Christianity, 
though  even  in  the  latter  he  does  not  seem  to 
have  found  perfect  satisfaction.  This  man,  a 
cousin  of  his  wife  Kadidja,  urged  forward  by  an 
irresistible  desire  after  the  knowledge  of  truth, 
but,  as  his  repeated  apostasies  would  serve  to 
show,  being  of  a  skeptical  nature,  may  have  dis- 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

covered  the  errors  that  had  crept  into  all  the 
religious  system  of  his  time;  and  having  ex- 
tracted from  them  that  which  was  purely  Divine, 
and  freed  it  from  the  inventions  of  men,  may 
have  propounded  it  to  his  disciple,  who,  deeply 
affected  hy  its  repeated  inculcation,  at  length 
felt  within  himself  a  call  to  become  the  restorer 
of  the  old  and  pure  religion.  A  Judaism  with- 
out the  many  ritual  and  ceremonial  laws,  which, 
according  to  Mohammed's  declaration,  even 
Christ  had  been  called  to  abolish,  or  a  Christian- 
ity w^ithout  the  Trinity,  crucifixion,  and  salvation 
connected  therewith — this  was  the  creed  which, 
in  the  early  period  of  his  mission,  Mohammed 
preached  with  unfeigned  enthusiasm. 

It  would  be  out  of  place  here  to  exhibit  in 
detail  the  rapidly-changing  character  both  of 
Mohammed  and  his  doctrines  ;  but  what  has 
been  said  appeared  indispensable  by  way  of  in- 
troduction to  the  legends  in  this  work.  With 
the  exception  of  a  few  later  additions,  these  le- 
gends are  derived  from  Mohammed  himself. 
Their  essential  features  are  found  even  in  the 
Koran,  and  what  is  merely  alluded  to  there  is 
carried  out  and  completed  by  oral  traditions. 
Hence  these  legends  occupy  a  twofold  place  in 
Arabic  literature.  The  whole  circle  of  the  tra- 
ditions, from  Adam  to  Christ,  containing,  as  they 
do  in  the  view  of  Mussulmans,  real  and  undis- 


X  INfTKODUCTluX. 

puted  matters  of  fact,  which  are  connected  with 
the  fate  of  all  nations,  forms  the  foundation  of 
the  universal  history  of  mankind  ;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  they  are  especially  made  use  of  as 
the  biography  of  the  Prophets  who  lived  before 
Mohammed.  It  is  therefore  highly  important 
to  ascertain  the  ground  from  which  the  source 
of  these  legends  has  sprung,  and  to  show  the 
transformation  which  they  underwent  in  order 
to  serve  as  the  fulcrum  for  the  propagation  of 
the  faith  in  Mohammed. 

Respecting  the  origin  of  these  legends,  it  will 
appear,  from  what  has  been  said,  that,  with  the 
exception  of  that  of  Christ,  it  is  to  be  found  in 
Jewish  traditions,  where,  as  will  appear  by  the 
numerous  citations  from  the  Midrash,  they  are 
yet  to  be  seen.  Many  traditions  respecting  the 
Prophets  of  the  Old  Testament  are  found  in  the 
Talmud,  which  w^as  then  already  closed,  so  that 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Mohammed  heard 
them  from  Jews,  to  whom  they  were  known, 
either  by  Scripture  or  tradition.  For  that  these 
legends  were  the  common  property  both  of 
Jews  and  Arabs  can  not  be  presumed,  inasmuch 
as  Mohammed  communicated  them  to  the  Arabs 
as  something  new,  and  specially  revealed  to 
himself;  and  inasmuch  as  the  latter  actually 
accused  him  of  having  received  instruction  from 
foreigners.     Besides  Warraka.  who  died  soon 


INTRODUCTION.  XI 

after  Mohammed's  first  appearance  a?s  a  proph- 
et, we  know  of  two  other  mdividuals,  who  were 
well  versed  in  the  Jewish  writings,  and  with 
whom  he  lived  on  intimate  terms,  viz.,  Abd  Al- 
lah Ibn  Salam,  a  learned  Jew,  and  Salman  the 
Persian,  who  had  long  lived  among  Jews  and 
Christians,  and  who,  before  he  became  a  Mus- 
sulman, was  successively  a  Magian,  Jew,  and 
Christian.  The  monk  Bahira,  too,  whom,  how- 
ever, according  to  Arabic  sources,  he  only  met 
once,  on  his  journey  to  Bozra,  was  a  baptized 
Jew.  All  these  legends  must  have  made  a  deep 
impression  on  a  religious  disposition  like  that  of 
Mohammed,  and  have  roused  within  him  the 
conviction  that  at  various  times,  when  the  de- 
pravity of  the  human  race  required  it,  God  se- 
lected some  pious  individuals  to  restore  them 
once  more  to  the  path  of  truth  and  goodness. 
And  thus  it  might  come  to  pass  that,  having  no 
other  object  than  to  instruct  his  contemporaries 
in  the  nature  of  the  Deity,  and  to  promote  their 
moral  and  spiritual  improvement,  he  might  de- 
sire to  close  the  line  of  the  Prophets  with  him- 
self 

But  these  legends  the  more  especially  further- 
ed his  object,  inasmuch  as  in  all  of  them  the 
Prophets  are  more  or  less  misunderstood  and 
persecuted  by  the  infidels,  but,  with  the  aid  of 
God,  are  made  to  triumph  in  the  end.     They 


Xll  INTRODUCTION. 

were  therefore  intended  by  him  to  serve  as  a 
warning  to  his  opponents,  and  to  edify  and  com- 
fort his  adherents.  But  the  legend  of  Abraham 
he  must  have  seized  and  appropriated  with  pe- 
cuHar  avidity,  on  account  of  its  special  use  as  a 
weapon  both  against  Jews  and  Christians,  while, 
at  the  same  time,  it  imparted  a  certain  luster  to 
all  the  nations  of  Arabia  descending  through 
Ismael  from  Abraham. 

It  is  difficult  to  find  out  with  precision  how 
much  of  this  last  legend  was  known  in  Arabia 
before  Mohammed  ;  but  it  is  probable,  that  as 
soon  as  the  Arabs  became  acquainted  with  the 
Scriptures  and  traditions  of  the  Jews,  they  em- 
ployed them  in  tracing  down  to  Mohammed  the 
origin  both  of  their  race  and  of  their  temple. 
But  that  they  possessed  no  historcal  information 
respecting  it  will  appear  from  me  fact  that,  not- 
withstanding their  genealogical  skill,  they  con- 
fess themselves  unable  to  trace  Mohammed's 
ancestry  beyond  the  twentieth  generation.  It 
is,  however,  quite  evident,  not  only  that  the  le- 
gends of  Abraham  and  Ismael,  which  related 
much  that  was  favorable  to  the  latter,  concern- 
ing which  the  Bible  was  silent,  but  that  all  the 
others  in  like  manner  were  more  or  less  changed 
and  amplified  by  Mohammed,  and  adapted  to 
his  own  purposes.  We  are,  however,  inclined 
to  ascribe  these  modifications  to  the  men  by 


INTRODUCTION.  Xlll 

whom  he  was  surrounded  rather  than  to  him- 
self; for  we  consider  him,  at  least  during  the 
period  of  his  mission,  as  the  mere  tool  of  certain 
Arabian  reformers  rather  than  an  independent 
prophet,  or,  at  all  events,  more  as  a  dupe  than 
a  deceiver.  Yet  to  him  unquestionably  belongs 
the  highly  poetical  garb  in  which  we  find  these 
legends,  and  which  was  calculated  to  attract 
and  captivate  the  imaginative  minds  of  the  Arabs 
much  more  than  the  dull  Persian  fables  narrated 
by  his  opponents. 

In  the  legend  of  Christ,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
discover  the  views  of  a  baptized  Jew.  He  ac- 
knowledges in  Christ  the  living  Word,  and  the 
Spirit  of  God,  in  contradistinction  to  the  dead 
letter  and  the  empty  ceremonial  into  which  Ju- 
daism had  then  fallen.  In  the  miraculous  birth 
of  Christ  there  is  nothing  incredible  to  him,  for 
was  not  Adam,  too,  created  by  the  word  of  the 
Lord  ?  He  admits  all  the  miracles  of  the  Gos- 
pel, for  had  not  the  earlier  prophets  also  worked 
miracles?  Even  in  the  Ascension  he  finds 
nothing  strange,  for  Enoch  and  Elias  were  also 
translated  to  heaven.  But  that  a  true  prophet 
should  place  himself  and  his  mother  on  a  level 
with  the  Most  High  God  is  repugnant  to  his 
views,  and  he  therefore  rejects  this  doctrine  as 
the  blasphemous  invention  of  the  priests.  He 
refuses  also,  in  like  manner,  to  believe  the  Cru- 
B 


Xiv  INTRODUCTION. 

cifixion,  because  it  appears  to  him  to  reflect 
upon  the  justice  of  God,  and  to  conflict  with  the 
history  of  former  prophets,  whom  He  had  de- 
Uvered  out  of  every  danger.*  "  No  man  shall 
suffer  for  the  sins  of  his  neighbor,"  says  the  Ko- 
ran :  hence,  though  Christ  might  have  followed 
out  his  designs  without  the  fear  of  death,  it 
seemed  to  him  impossible  that  the  Lord  should 
have  permitted  Christ,  the  innocent,  to  die  in  so 
shameful  a  manner  for  the  sins  of  other  men. 
But  he  regards  as  a  Savior  every  prophet  who 
by  divine  revelation,  and  an  exemplary  and  pi- 
ous life,  restores  man  to  the  way  of  salvation 
which  Adam  had  abandoned  at  his  fall ;  and 
such  a  savior  he  believed  himself  to  be. 

Now,  as  the  legend  of  Abraham  was  valuable 
to  Mohammed  on  account  of  the  pure  and  sim- 
ple lesson  which  it  inculcated,  as  well  as  for  its 
connection  with  the  sacred  things  of  Mecca,  so 
he  valued  the  legend  of  Christ  especially  for  its 
promise  of  the  Paraclete,  which  he  believed,  or 
at  least  proclaimed  himself  to  be,  and  to  which 
appellation  the  meaning  of  his  own  name  at 
least  furnished  him  with  a  better  claim  than 
some  others  who  had  arrogated  it  to  themselves 

*  The  reader  is  reminded  of  what  our  Savior  says  of  all  the 
righteous  blood  shed  upon  the  earth,  from  the  blood  of  righteous 
Abel  unto  the  blood  of  Zacharias,  the  son  of  Barachias.  who  per- 
•  i«hp(]  hptwppn  the  temple  and  thp  altar  —  E.  T. 


THE    MIRACLE.  65 

their  beaks  with  the  water  of  the  fountain,  sprin- 
kled it  over  the  rock,  and  lo !  there  was  seen 
the  head  of  the  camel,  which  was  gradually 
followed  by  the  rest  of  its  body ;  when  it  stood 
upon  the  earth,  it  was  exactly  as  it  had  been 
described  by  the  king,  and  it  cried  out  imme- 
diately, "  There  is  no  God  but  Allah ;  Salih  is 
his  messenger  and  prophet."  The  angel  Gabriel 
then  came  down  and  touched  the  camel  with 
his  flaming  sword,  and  it  gave  birth  to  a  young 
camel  which  resembled  it  entirely,  and  repeated 
the  confession  that  had  been  required.  The 
camel  then  went  to  the  dwellings  of  the  people, 
calling  them  by  name,  and  filling  every  empty 
vessel  with  its  milk.  On  its  way  all  animals 
bowed  before  it,  and  all  the  trees  bent  their 
branches  to  it  in  reverence. 

The  king  could  no  longer  shut  his  heart  to 
such  proofs  of  God's  almightiness  and  Salih's 
mission:  he  fell  on  the  prophet's  neck,  kissed 
him,  and  said,  "  I  confess  there  is  but  one  God, 
and  that  thou  art  his  messenger !" 

But  the  brother  of  the  king,  as  well  as  Davud 
and  all  the  priesthood,  called  it  only  sorcery  and 
delusion,  and  invented  all  kinds  of  calumnies 
and  falsehoods  to  retain  the  people  in  unbelief 
and  idolatry.  Meanwhile,  since  the  camel,  by 
constantly  yielding  its  milk  and  praising  Allah 
as  often  as  it  went  down  to  the  water,  made 
0  V2 


G6  THE    PERJURY. 

daily  new  converts,  the  chiefs  of  the  infidels  re- 
solved to  kill  it.  But  when  many  days  had 
passed  before  they  ventured  to  approach  it, 
Shihab  issued  a  proclamation,  that  whosoever 
should  kill  the  mountain  camel  should  have  his 
daughter  Ranjan  to  wife.  Kadbar,  a  young 
man  who  had  long  loved  this  maiden,  distin- 
guished as  she  was  for  grace  and  beauty,  but 
without  daring  to  woo  her,  being  only  a  man 
of  the  people,  armed  himself  with  a  huge  sword, 
and,  attended  by  Davud  and  some  other  priests, 
fell  upon  the  camel  from  behind  while  it  was 
descending  to  the  waters,  and  wounded  it  in  its 
hoof. 

At  that  moment  all  nature  uttered  a  frightful 
shriek  of  woe.  The  little  camel  ran  moaning 
to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  the  mountain,  and 
cried,  "  May  the  curse  of  Allah  light  upon  thee, 
thou  sinful  people  !"  Salih  and  the  king,  who 
had  not  quitted  him  since  his  conversion,  went 
into  the  city,  demanding  the  punishment  of  Kad- 
bar and  his  accomplices.  But  Shihab,  who  had 
in  the  mean  time  usurped  the  throne,  threatened 
them  with  instant  death.  Salih,  flying,  had 
only  time  to  say  that  Allah  would  wait  their 
repentance  only  three  days  longer,  and  on  the 
expiration  of  the  third  day  would  annihilate 
them  like  their  brethren  the  Aaadites.  His 
threat  was  fulfilled,  for  thev  were  irreclaimable. 


THE    DESTRUCTION.  67 

Already  on  the  next  day  the  people  grew  as 
yellow  as  the  seared  leaves  of  autumn ;  and 
wherever  the  wounded  camel  trod,  there  issued 
fountains  of  blood  from  the  earth.  On  the  sec- 
ond day  their  faces  became  red  as  blood ;  but 
on  the  third  they  turned  black  as  coal,  and  on 
the  same  day,  toward  nightfall,  they  saw  the 
camel  hovering  in  the  air  on  crimson  wings, 
whereupon  some  of  the  angels  hurled  down 
whole  mountains  of  fire,  while  others  opened  the 
subterraneous  vaults  of  fire  which  are  connected 
with  hell,  so  that  the  earth  vomited  forth  fire- 
brands in  the  shape  of  camels.  At  sunset,  all 
the  Thamudites  were  a  heap  of  ashes.  Only 
Salih  and  King  Djundu  escaped,  and  wandered 
in  company  to  Palestine,  where  they  ended  their 
days  as  hermits. 


ABRAHAM. 


ABRAHAM. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Salih,  the  prophet 
Abraham  was  born  at  Susa,  or,  according  to 
others,  at  Babylon.  He  was  a  contemporary  of 
the  mighty  king,  Nimrod,  and  his  birth  falls  into 
the  year  1081  after  the  Flood,  which  happened 
in  2242  from  the  Fall.  He  was  welcomed  at 
his  birth  by  the  angel  Gabriel,  who  immediately 
wrapped  him  in  a  white  robe.  Nimrod,  on  the 
night  in  which  Abraham  was  born — it  was  be- 
tween the  night  of  Thursday  and  Friday  morn- 
ing— heard  a  voice  in  his  dream  which  cried 
aloud,  "  Woe  to  them  that  shall  not  confess  the 
God  of  Abraham :  the  truth  has  come  to  light, 
delusion  vanishes  !"  He  also  dreamed  that  the 
idol  which  he  worshiped  had  fallen  down ;  and 
convened,  therefore,  on  the  following  morning, 
all  his  priests  and  sorcerers,  communicating  to 
them  his  dream.  Yet  no  one  knew  how  to  in- 
terpret it,  or  to  give  any  account  of  Abraham. 
Nimrod  had  already  once  in  a  dream  seen  a  star 
which  eclipsed  the  light  of  the  sun  and  moon, 
and  had,  therefore,  been  warned  by  his  sorcerers 
of  a  boy  who  threatened  to  deprive  him  of  his 
throne,  and  to  annihilate  the  people's  faith  in  him  ; 
for  Nimrod  caused  himself  to  be  worshiped  as 


THE    CHILDHOOD    OF    ABRAHAM.  69 

God.  Yet,  seeing  that  since  that  dream  he  had 
commanded  every  new-born  male  to  be  slain  at 
its  birth,  he  did  not  think  there  was  any  need 
for  farther  apprehension.  Abraham  alone  was 
saved  of  the  children  who  were  born  at  that  time 
by  a  miracle  of  heaven,  for  his  mother  had  re- 
mained so  slender  during  her  whole  pregnancy 
that  no  one  had  thought  of  it,  and  when  her  hour 
came  she  fled  to  a  cave  beyond  the  city,  where, 
aided  by  the  angel  Gabriel,  she  was  secretly  de- 
livered. In  this  cave  Abraham  remained  con- 
cealed during  fifteen  months,  and  his  mother 
visited  him  sometimes  to  nurse  him.  But  he  had 
no  need  of  her  food,  for  Allah  commanded  water 
to  flow  from  one  of  Abraham's  fingers,  milk  from 
another,  honey  from  the  third,  the  juice  of  dates 
from  the  fourth,  and  butter  from  the  fifth.  On 
stepping,  for  the  first  time,  beyond  the  cave,  and 
seeing  a  beautiful  star,  Abraham  said,  "  This  is 
my  God,  which  has  given  me  meat  and  drink  in 
the  cave."  Yet  anon  the  moon  rose  in  full 
splendor,  exceeding  the  light  of  the  star,  and  he 
said, "  This  is  not  God ;  I  will  worship  the  moon." 
But  when,  toward  morning,  the  moon  waxed 
more  and  more  pale,  and  the  sun  rose,  he  ac- 
knowledged the  latter  as  a  divinity,  until  he  also 
disappeared  from  the  horizon.  He  then  asked 
his  mother, "  Who  is  my  God  ?"  and  she  replied, 
"  It  is  I." 


70  GHALIL    ALLAH. 

"  And  who  is  thy  God  ?"  he  inquired  farther. 

«  Thy  father." 

"  And  who  is  my  father's  God  ?" 

"  Nimrod !" 

"  And  Nimrod's  God  ?" 

She  then  struck  him  on  the  face,  and  said, 
"  Be  silent !"     He  was  silent,  but  thought  within 
himself,  "  I  acknowledge  no  other  god  than  Him 
who  has  created  heaven  and  earth,  and  all  that 
is  in  them."     When  he  was  a  little  older,  his 
father,  Aser,  who  w  as  a  maker  of  idols,  sent  him 
out  to  sell  them  ;  but  Abraham   cried,  "  Who 
will  buy  what  can  only  do  him  harm,  and  bring 
no  good  ?"  so  that  no  one  bought  of  him.     One 
day,  when  all  his  townsmen  had  gone  on  a  pil- 
grimage to  some  idol,  he  feigned  sickness,  and 
remaining  alone  at  home,  destroyed  two-and- 
seventy  idols,  which  were  set  up  in  the  temple. 
It  was  then  that  he  obtained  the  honorable  sur- 
name of  Chalil  Allah  (the  friend  of  God).     But 
on  the  return  of  the  pilgrims  he  was  arrested, 
and  brought  before  Nimrod ;  for  suspicion  soon 
rested  upon  him,  both  on  account  of  his  stay  at 
home,  and  the  contemptuous  reflections  on  the 
worship  of  idols  in  which  he  was  known  to  in- 
dulge.    Nimrod  condemned  him  to  be  burned 
alive  as  a  blasphemer.*     The  people  of  Babel 

*  The  Jewish  legend  respecting  Abraham's  contempt  of  idola- 
try and  his  sentence  to  be  burned  alive  is  as  follows :  "  Terah 


THE    PILE.  71 

then  collected  wood  for  a  pile  during  a  whole 
month,  or,  according  to  some  of  the  learned,  dur- 
ing forty  days,  and  at  that  time  knew  of  no 
more  God-pleasing  work  than  this :  so  that  if 
any  one  was  sick,  or  desired  to  obtain  any  favor 
from  his  gods,  he  vowed  to  carry  a  certain  quan- 

was  an  idolater,  and,  as  he  went  one  day  on  a  journey,  he  appoint- 
ed Abraham  to  sell  his  idols  in  his  stead.  As  often  as  a  purchaser 
came,  Abraham  inquired  his  age,  and  when  he  replied, '  I  am  fifty 
or  sixty  years  old,'  he  said,  '  Woe  to  the  man  of  sixty  who  would 
worship  the  work  of  a  day !'  so  that  the  purchasers  went  away 
ashamed. 

"  One  day  a  woman  came  with  a  bowl  of  fine  flour,  and  said, 
'  Set  it  before  them ;'  but  he  took  a  staff  and  broke  all  the  idols  iu 
pieces,  and  placed  the  staff  in  the  hands  of  the  largest  of  them. 
When  his  father  returned,  he  inquired,  'Who  has  done  this?' 
Abraham  said,  '  Why  should  I  deny  it  ?  there  was  a  woman  here 
with  a  bowl  of  fine  flour,  and  she  directed  me  to  set  it  before 
them.  When  I  did  so,  every  one  of  them  would  have  eaten  first ; 
then  arose  the  tallest,  and  demolished  them  with  the  staff.'  Te- 
rah  said, '  What  fable  art  thou  telling  me  ?  Have  they  any  under- 
standing?' 

"  Abraham  replied,  '  Do  not  thy  ears  hear  what  thy  lips  utter?' 

*'  Whereupon  Terah  took  him  and  delivered  him  to  Nimrod, 
who  said  to  Abraham,  '  Let  us  worship  the  fire  !' 

"  '  Rather  the  water  that  quenches  the  fire.' 

"  '  Well,  the  water.' 

"  '  Rather  the  cloud  which  carries  the  water.' 

" '  Well,  the  cloud.' 

"  '  Rather  the  wind  that  scatters  the  cloud.' 

"  '  Well,  the  wind.' 

*•  *  Rather  man,  for  he  endures  the  wind.' 

"  '  Thou  art  a  babbler,'  replied  the  king.  '  I  worship  the  fire, 
and  will  cast  thee  into  it.  May  the  God  whom  thou  adorest  de- 
liver thee  thence !' 

*'  Abraham  was  thrown  into  a  heated  furnace,  but  was  saved." — 
Vide  Geiger,  i.,  p.  124. 


72  THE    MIRACLE. 

tity  of  wood  upon  his  recovery,  or  on  the  fulfill- 
ment of  his  wish.  The  women  were  especially 
active  ;  they  washed,  or  did  other  manual  work, 
for  hire,  and  bought  wood  with  their  earnings. 
When  at  last  the  pile  had  attained  a  height  of 
thirty  cubits  and  a  breadth  of  twenty,  Nimrod 
commanded  it  to  be  set  on  fire.  Then  there 
mounted  on  high  such  a  mighty  flame,  that  many 
birds  in  the  air  were  consumed  by  it ;  the  smoke 
which  arose  darkened  the  whole  city,  and  the 
crackling  of  the  wood  was  heard  at  the  distance 
of  a  day's  journey.  Then  Nimrod  summoned 
Abraham,  and  asked  him  again,  **  Who  is  thy 
God  ?" 

"  He  that  has  power  to  kill  and  to  make  alive 
again,"  Abraham  replied.  He  thereupon  con- 
jured up  a  man  from  the  grave  who  had  died 
many  years  ago,  and  commanded  him  to  bring 
a  white  cock,  a  black  raven,  a  green  pigeon,  and 
a  speckled  peacock.  When  he  had  brought 
these  birds,  Abraham  cut  them  into  a  thousand 
pieces,  and  flung  them  in  four  different  direc- 
tions, retaining  only  the  four  heads  in  his  hands. 
Over  these  he  said  a  prayer,  then  called  each 
bird  by  name,  and  behold,  the  little  pieces  came 
flying  toward  him,  and,  combining  as  they  had 
been,  united  themselves  to  their  heads.  The 
birds  lived  as  before,  but  he  who  had  been  raised 
from  the  dead  at  Abraham's  command,  descend- 
ed again  into  the  grave. 


SYMPATHY.  73 

Nimrod  then  caused  two  malefactors  to  be 
brought  from  prison,  and  commanded  one  of 
them  to  be  executed,  but  pardoned  the  other, 
saying,  "  I  also  am  God,  for  I  too  have  the  dis- 
posal of  life  and  death."  However  childish  this 
remark  was,  for  he  only  had  the  power  of  remit- 
ting the  sentence  of  a  living  man,  not  of  restoring 
the  dead  to  life,  Abraham  did  not  object,  but,  in 
order  to  silence  him  at  once,  said,  "  Allah  causes 
the  sun  to  rise  in  the  east ;  if  thou  be  Allah,  let 
it  for  once  rise  in  the  west."  But,  instead  of  re- 
plying, Nimrod  commanded  his  servants  to  fling 
Abraham  into  the  fire,  by  means  of  an  engine 
which  Satan  himself  had  suggested  to  him. 

At  the  same  instant,  the  heaven  with  all  its 
angels,  and  the  earth  with  all  its  creatures,  cried 
as  with  one  voice,  "God  of  Abraham !  thy  friend, 
who  alone  worships  thee  on  earth,  is  being  thrown 
into  the  fire ;  permit  us  to  rescue  him."  The 
angel  that  presideth  over  the  reservoirs  was 
about  to  extinguish  the  flames  by  a  deluge  from 
on  high,  and  he  that  keepeth  the  winds  to  scat- 
ter them  by  a  tempest  to  all  parts  of  the  world; 
but  Allah,  blessed  be  his  name  !  said,  "  I  permit 
every  one  of  you  to  whom  Abraham  shall  cry 
for  protection  to  assist  him  ;  yet  if  he  turn  only 
to  me,  then  let  me  by  my  own  immediate  aid 
rescue  him  from  death."*      Then  cried  Abra- 

♦  The  Midrash,  p.  20,  says,  "  When  the  wicked  Nimrod  cast 

G 


74  DIVINE    INTERPOSITION. 

ham  from  the  midst  of  the  pile, "  There  is  no  God 
besides  thee ;  thou  art  supreme,  and  unto  thee 
alone  belong  praise  and  glory  !"  The  flame  had 
already  consumed  his  robe,  when  the  angel 
Gabriel  stepped  before  him  and  asked,  "  Hast 
thou  need  of  me  ?" 

But  he  replied,  "  The  help  of  Allah  alone  is 
what  I  need  !" 

"  Pray,  then,  to  him,  that  he  may  save  thee  !" 
rejoined  Gabriel. 

"He  knows  my  condition,"  answered  Abra- 
ham. 

All  the  creatures  of  the  earth  now  attempted 
to  quench  the  fire  :  the  lizard  alone  blew  upon 
it,  and,  as  a  punishment,  became  dumb  from  that 
hour. 

At  Allah's  command,  Gabriel  now  cried  to  the 
fire,  "  Become  cool,  and  do  Abraham  no  harm  1" 
To  these  last  words  Abraham  was  indebted  for 
his  escape ;  for  at  the  sound  of  Gabriers  voice 
it  grew  so  chill  around  him  that  he  was  well-nigh 
freezing,  and  the  cold  had  therefore  to  be  dimin- 
ished again.  The  fire  then  remained  as  it  was, 
burning  on  as  before,  but  it  had  miraculously 
lost  all  its  warmth  ;  and  this  was  not  only  so 

Abraham  into  the  furnace,  Gabriel  said,  '  Lord  of  the  world,  suf- 
fer me  to  save  this  saint  from  the  fire  !'  but  the  Lord  replied,  'I 
am  the  only  one  supreme  in  my  world,  and  he  is  supreme  in  his  ; 
it  is  meet,  therefore,  that  the  supreme  should  save  the  supreme.' " 


THE     I'RINCESS.  75 

with  Abraham's  pile,  but  with  all  fires  lighted  on 
that  day  throughout  the  whole  world. 

Allah  then  caused  a  fountain  of  fresh  water 
to  spring  up  in  the  midst  of  the  fire,  and  roses 
and  other  flowers  to  rise  out  of  the  earth  at  the 
spot  where  Abraham  was  lying.  He  likewise 
sent  him  a  silken  robe  from  Paradise,  and  an  an- 
gel in  human  shape,  who  kept  him  company 
during  seven  days  ;  for  so  long  he  remained  in 
the  fire.  These  seven  days  Abraham,  in  later 
times,  frequently  called  the  most  precious  of  his 
fife. 

His  miraculous  preservation  in  the  pile  be- 
came the  cause  of  his  marriage  with  Radha,  the 
daughter  of  Nimrod  ;  for  on  the  seventh  day  af- 
ter Abraham  was  cast  into  the  fire,  she  prayed 
her  father  for  permission  to  see  him.  Nimrod 
endeavored  to  dissuade  her  from  it,  and  said, 
"  What  canst  thou  see  of  him  ?  He  has  long 
ere  now  been  changed  into  ashes."  Yet  she 
ceased  not  to  entreat  him,  until  he  suffered  her 
to  go  near  the  pile.  There  she  beheld  Abra- 
ham, through  the  fire,  sitting  quite  comfortable  in 
the  midst  of  a  blooming  garden.  Amazed,  she 
called  out,  "  O  Abraham,  does  not  the  fire  con- 
sume thee  ?"  He  replied,  "  Whoever  keeps  Al- 
lah in  his  heart,  and  the  words, '  In  the  name  of 
Allah  the  All-merciful,'  on  his  tongue,  over  him 
has  fire  no  power." 


76  NIMROD  S    TOWER. 

Whereupon  she  begged  his  permission  to  ap- 
proach him  ;  but  he  said,  "  Confess  that  there  is 
but  one  only  God,  who  has  chosen  me  to  be  his 
messenger  !"  As  soon  as  she  had  made  this  con- 
fession of  her  faith,  the  flames  parted  before  her, 
so  that  she  was  able  to  reach  Abraham  un- 
harmed. But  when  she  returned  to  her  father, 
and  told  him  in  what  condition  she  had  found  the 
prophet,  and  sought  to  convert  him  to  his  faith, 
he  tormented  and  tortured  her  so  cruelly,  that 
Allah  commanded  an  angel  to  deliver  her  from 
his  hands,  and  conduct  her  to  Abraham,  who 
had  meanwhile  left  the  city  of  Babel. 

Still  Nimrod  was  far  from  being  reclaimed ; 
he  even  resolved  to  build  a  lofty  tower,  where- 
with, if  possible,  to  scale  the  heavens,  and  to 
search  therein  for  the  God  of  Abraham.  The 
tower  rose  to  a  height  of  five  thousand  cubits ; 
but  as  heaven  was  still  far  off',  and  the  workmen 
were  unable  to  proceed  farther  with  the  build- 
ing, Nimrod  caught  two  eagles  and  kept  them 
upon  the  tower,  feeding  them  constantly  with 
flesh.  He  then  left  them  to  fast  for  several  days, 
and  when  they  were  ravenous  with  hunger,  he 
fastened  to  their  feet  a  light,  closed  palanquin, 
with  one  window  above  and  another  below,  and 
seated  himself  in  it  with  one  of  his  huntsmen. 
The  latter  took  a  long  spear,  to  which  a  bit  of 
flesh  was  attached,  and  thrust  it  through  the  up- 


THE    BLOOD-STAINED    ARROW.  77 

per  window,  so  that  the  famishing  eagles  flew 
instantly  upward,  bearing  the  palanquin  aloft. 
When  they  had  flown  toward  heaven  during  a 
whole  day,  Nimrod  heard  a  voice,  which  cried 
to  him,  "Godless  man,  whither  goest  thou?" 
Nimrod  seized  the  bow  of  his  huntsman,  and  dis- 
charged an  arrow,  which  forthwith  fell  back 
through  the  window  stained  with  blood,  and  this 
abandoned  man  believed  that  he  had  wounded 
the  God  of  Abraham. 

But  as  he  was  now  so  far  from  the  earth  that 
it  appeared  to  him  no  larger  than  an  egg,  he  or- 
dered the  spear  to  be  held  downward,  and  the 
eagles  and  the  palanquin  descended. 

Respecting  the  blood  which  was  seen  on  Nim- 
rod's  arrow,  the.  learned  are  not  agreed  as  to 
whence  it  came  :  many  contend  it  was  the  blood 
of  a  fish  which  the  clouds  had  carried  with  them 
from  the  sea,  and  adduce  this  circumstance  as 
the  reason  why  fish  need  not  be  slaughtered.* 
Others  suppose  that  Nimrod's  arrow  had  struck 
a  bird  which  was  flying  still  higher  than  the 
eagles.  When  Nimrod,  in  the  swell  of  triumph, 
once  more  reached  the  pinnacle  of  his  tower, 
Allah  caused  it  to   fall  in  with  such  frightful 

*  The  laws  of  the  Mohammedans,  and  of  the  Jews  especially, 
regulate  scrupulously  the  mode  in  which  clean  animals  are  to  be 
slain  ;  what  part  is  to  receive  the  mortal  wound  ;  how  it  is  to  be 
inflicted ;  the  knife  to  be  used  ;  and  the  formula  of  prayer  to  be 
uttered.     But  no  such  laws  exist  in  regard  to  fish. — E.  T. 

G2 


78  THE    ARMY    OF    FLIEr?. 

noise,  that  all  people  were  beside  themselves 
from  terror,  and  every  one  spoke  in  a  different 
tongue.  Since  that  period  the  languages  of  men 
vary,  and,  on  account  of  the  confusion  arising 
from  this  circumstance,  the  capital  of  Nimrod 
was  called  Babel  (the  confusion). 

As  soon,  however,  as  Nimrod  had  recovered 
himself,  he  pursued  Abraham  with  an  army 
which  covered  the  space  of  twelve  square  miles. 
Allah  then  sent  Gabriel  unto  Abraham  to  ask 
him  by  what  creature  he  should  send  him  de- 
liverance ?  Abraham  chose  the  fly  ;  and  Al- 
lah said,  "  Verily,  if  he  had  not  chosen  the  fly, 
an  insect  would  have  come  to  his  aid,  seventy 
of  which  are  lighter  than  the  wing  of  a  fly." 

The  exalted  Allah  then  summoned  the  king 
of  flies,  and  commanded  him  to  march  with  his 
host  against  Nimrod.  He  then  collected  all  the 
flies  and  gnats  of  the  whole  earth,  and  with  them 
attacked  Nimrod's  men  with  such  violence,  that 
they  were  soon  obliged  to  take  to  flight,  for  they 
consumed  their  skin,  and  bones,  and  flesh,  and 
picked  the  eyes  out  of  their  heads.  Nimrod 
himself  fled,  and  locked  himself  up  in  a  thickly- 
walled  tower;  but  one  of  the  flies  rushed  in  with 
him,  and  flew  round  his  face  during  seven  days, 
without  his  being  able  to  catch  it,  the  fly  return- 
ing again  and  again  to  his  lip,  and  sucking  it  so 
long  that  it  began   to  swell.      It  then  flew  up 


DEATH    OF   NIMROD.  79 

into  his  nose,  and  the  more  he  endeavored  to  get 
it  out,  the  more  deeply  it  pressed  into  it,  until  it 
came  to  the  brain,  which  it  began  to  devour. 
Then  there  remained  no  other  means  of  relief 
to  him  than  to  run  his  head  against  the  wall,  or 
to  have  some  one  strike  his  forehead  with  a 
hammer.  But  the  fly  grew  continually  larger 
until  the  fortieth  day,  when  his  head  burst  open, 
and  the  insect,  which  had  grown  to  the  size  of  a 
pigeon,  flew  out,  and  said  to  the  dying  Nimrod, 
who  even  now  would  not  come  to  repentance, 
"  Thus  does  Allah,  whenever  he  pleases,  permit 
the  feeblest  of  his  creatures  to  destroy  the  man 
who  will  not  believe  in  him  and  in  his  messen- 
ger." The  tower,  in  which  Nimrod  was,  then 
tumbled  in  upon  him,  and  he  must  roll  about  un- 
der its  ruins  until  the  day  of  the  resurrection. 

After  Nimrod's  death,  many  persons,  whom 
the  fear  of  the  king  had  prevented,  turned  to  the 
only  God,  and  to  Abraham  his  messenger.  The 
first  were  his  nephew  Lot,  the  son  of  Haran,  and 
Lot's  sister  Sarah,  whom  Abraham  afterward 
married.  She  bore  a  perfect  resemblance  to 
her  mother  Eve,  to  whom  Allah  had  given  two 
thirds  of  all  beauty,  while  the  whole  human  race 
have  to  be  satisfied  with  the  remaining  third,  and 
even  of  this  quota  Joseph  alone  obtained  one 
third. 

Sarah  was  so  beautiful  that  Abraham,  who,  in 


80  BEAUTY    OF    SARAH. 

order  to  proclaim  the  true  faith,  was  obliged  to 
make  many  journeys  to  Palestine,  Syria,  Egypt, 
and  Arabia,  found  it  necessary  to  carry  her  with 
him  in  a  chest.  One  day  he  was  arrested  on  the 
banks  of  the  Jordan  by  a  publican,  to  whom  he 
was  obliged  to  give  tithe  of  all  that  he  carried 
with  him.  Abraham  opened  all  his  chests  but 
the  one  in  which  Sarah  was  confined  ;  and  when 
the  publican  proceeded  to  search  it  too,  Abra- 
ham said,  "  Suppose  it  to  be  filled  with  silks,  and 
let  me  pay  the  tithe  accordingly."  But  the  of- 
ficer commanded  him  to  open  it.  Abraham 
begged  him  again  to  pass  it  unopened,  and  offer- 
ed to  give  tithe  as  if  it  were  filled  with  gold  and 
jewels.  Still  the  other  insisted  on  his  seeing  the 
contents  of  the  chest ;  and,  when  he  beheld  Sa- 
rah, he  was  so  dazzled  by  her  beauty,  that  he  ran 
forthwith  to  the  king,  reporting  what  had  hap- 
pened. 

The  king  immediately  summoned  Abraham, 
and  inquired  of  him,  "  Who  is  the  maiden  whom 
thou  earnest  with  thee  ?"  Abraham,  from  fear 
of  being  put  to  death  if  he  avowed  the  truth,  re- 
plied, "  She  is  my  sister  !"  At  the  same  time  he 
told  no  falsehood,*  for  in  his  mind  he  meant, 

*  The  learned  reader  must  be  struck  with  the  strong  likeness 
existing  between  the  moral  of  the  Moslems  and  those  of  the  San- 
chez, the  Escobars,  the  Tambourins,  and  the  Molinas.  The  Bi- 
ble says,  indeed,  "  Abraham  said  to  Pharaoh, '  She  is  my  sister ;'  " 
but  it  does  not  justify  him  by  adding  that  he  told  no  falsehood.— 
E.  T. 


II  AG  All    AND    ISMAEL.  81 

"  She  is  my  sister  in  the  faith."  When  the  king 
heard  this,  he  took  her  with  him  to  his  palace. 
Abraham  stood  full  of  despair  before  it,  not 
knowing  what  to  do,  when  Allah  caused  the 
walls  of  the  palace  to  become  transparent  as 
glass,  and  Abraham  saw  how  the  king,  as  soon 
as  he  had  seated  himself  with  Sarah  on  a  divan, 
desired  to  embrace  her.  But  at  that  instant  his 
hand  withered,  the  palace  began  to  shake,  and 
threatened  to  fall.  The  king  fell  on  the  ground 
from  dread  and  fright,  and  Sarah  said  to  him, 
"  Let  me  go,  for  I  am  the  wife  of  Abraham." 

Pharaoh  thereupon  summoned  Abraham,  and 
reproached  him  for  his  untruth.  The  latter  then 
prayed  for  him,  and  Allah  healed  the  king,  who 
now  gave  Abraham  many  rich  presents,  and, 
among  others,  an  Egyptian  slave  by  the  name 
of  Hagar.*  She  bore  him  a  son,  whom  he 
called  Ismael.  But  as  Sarah  was  barren,  and 
the  more  jealous  since  the  light  of  Mohammed 
already  shone  on  Ismael's  forehead,  she  demand- 
ed of  Abraham  to  put  away  Hagar  and  her  son. 
He  was  undecided,  until  commanded  by  Allah 
to  obey  Sarah  in  all  things.     Yet  he  entreated 

♦  The  Midrash,  fol.  21,  says  that  Hagar  was  given  as  a  slave  to 
Abraham  by  her  father  Pharoah,  who  said,  "  My  daughter  had 
better  be  a  slave  in  the  house  of  Abraham  than  mistress  in  any 
other."  Elimelech,  in  like  manner,  and  for  the  same  reason,  gave 
his  daughter  as  a  bondmaid  to  Abraham,  after  he  had  seen  the 
wonders  which  were  done  for  Sarah's  sake. 
6 


82  EAR-RINGS. 

her  again  not  to  cast  off  her  bondmaid  and  her 
son.  But  this  so  exasperated  her,  that  she  de- 
clared she  would  not  rest  until  her  hands  had 
been  imbrued  in  Hagar's  blood.  Then  Abra- 
ham pierced  Hagar's  ear  quickly,  and  drew  a 
ring  through  it,  so  that  Sarah  was  able  to  dip 
her  hand  in  the  blood  of  Hagar  without  bringing 
the  latter  into  danger. 

From  that  time  it  became  a  custom  among 
women  to  wear  ear-rings. 

Sarah  now  suffered  Hagar  to  remain  yet  a 
few  years  longer  with  her ;  but  when  she  had 
borne  Isaac,  and  observed  that  Abraham  loved 
him  less  than  Ismael,  her  jealousy  awoke  afresh, 
and  she  now  insisted  on  Hagar's  removal.  Abra- 
ham then  went  with  her  and  Ismael  on  his  way, 
and  the  angel  Gabriel  guided  them  into  the  Ara- 
bian  desert,  to  the  place  where  afterward  the 
holy  temple  of  Mecca  was  built.  This  place 
had  been  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  Allah  even 
before  Adam's  birth.*  For  when  Allah  made 
known  to  the  angels  his  resolve  of  creating  man, 
and  they  said,  "  Wilt  thou  fill  the  earth  with  sin- 
ful creatures  ?"  Allah  was  so  wroth  at  their  dis- 
suasion, that  the  angels,  to  reconcile  Him,  walk- 

♦  The  sanctity  which  the  Moslem  attaches  to  places  is  akin  to 
the  feeling  in  the  church  of  the  Pharisees  before  Christ,  and  of 
Rome  at  present.  But  the  Savior  reproves  it  by  those  words, 
"  Wherever  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there 
am  1  in  the  midst  of  them."' — Matt.,  xviii  ,  20.— E.  T 


THE    KAAIJA,  83 

ed,  singing  praises,  seven  times  round  His  throne. 
Allah  pardoned  them,  but  said,  "  Build  me  forth- 
with, in  a  direct  line  downward  to  the  earth,  a 
temple,  which  the  sinners  may  one  day  encom- 
pass, that  they  also  may  obtain  mercy,  even  as 
ye  have  now  encircled  my  throne,  and  been  for- 
given." Allah  afterward  gave  to  Adam  a  dia- 
mond of  Paradise,  which  is  now  called  the  black 
stone ;  for  it  afterward  grew  black  by  the  un- 
clean touch  of  the  heathen,  but  will  one  day  rise 
with  eyes  and  a  tongue,  to  bear  testimony  to 
those  who  have  touched  it  in  their  pilgrimage.* 
This  jewel  was  originally  an  angel,  appointed 
to  watch  over  Adam,  that  he  might  not  eat  of 
the  forbidden  tree  ;  but,  on  account  of  his  neg- 
lect, was  changed  into  a  stone.  At  the  time  of 
the  flood  Allah  lifted  up  this  temple  into  heaven  ; 
yet  the  winds  blew  Noah's  ark  seven  times  round 
the  spot  where  it  had  stood. 

After  having  accompanied  Hagar  and  Ismael 
unto  Mecca,  Abraham  returned  again  to  Sarah, 
in  Syria,  leaving  the  former,  at  Gabriel's  com- 
mand, to  themselves,  provided  with  a  few  dates 
and  a  bottle  of  water.  But  these  provisions 
were  soon  exhausted,  and  the  whole  region  was 
waste,  arid,  and  uninhabited.     When  Hagar  and 

*  The  black  stone  of  the  Kaaba  is  to  this  day  an  object  of  great 
veneration  with  the  Mussulmans,  and  every  pilgrim  visiting  the 
temple  kisses  it  repeatedly— -E.  T, 


84  THE    SETTLERS    OF    MECCA. 

Ismael  were  suffering  from  hunger  and  thirst, 
the  former  ran  seven  times  from  Mount  Susa  to 
Marwa,*  calling  upon  Allah  for  relief:  the  an- 
gel Gabriel  then  appeared  to  her,  and  stamped 
upon  the  earth  with  his  foot,  and  behold,  there 
started  up  a  fountain,  which  is  still  known  as  the 
fountain  of  Semsem.f  But  at  that  time  its  wa- 
ters were  as  sweet  as  honey  and  as  nutritious  as 
milk,  so  that  Hagar  was  unwilling  again  to  leave 
these  regions. 

After  some  time  there  came  two  Amalekites 
to  her,  who  were  seeking  a  camel  which  had 
strayed  there,  and,  finding  good  water,  they  in- 
formed their  tribe  thereof,  which  had  encamped 
a  few  hours  westward.  They  settled  with  her, 
and  Ismael  grew  up  among  them  ;  but  Abraham 
visited  him  every  month,  riding  on  Barak,  his 
miraculous  horse,  which  carried  him  in  half  a 
day  from  Syria  to  Mecca. 

When  Ismael  had  attained  the  age  of  thirteen 
years,  Abraham  heard  a  voice  in  his  dream, 
which  cried,  "  Sacrifice  Ismael  thy  son." 

The  Jews,  and  even  many  Mussulmans,  do 
indeed  maintain  that  it  was  his  son  Isaac  whom 
Abraham  offered  ;  but  the  true  believers  reject 

*  The  pilgrims  to  Mecca  still  run  seven  times  from  Mount  Susa 
to  Marwa,  frequently  looking  round  and  stooping  down,  to  imitate 
Hagar  when  seeking  for  water. — E.  T. 

t  This  fountain  is  within  the  Kaaba :  its  water  is  brackish, 
though  bomewhat  less  so  than  the  uUier  water  of  Mecca. — E.  T. 


THE    DREAM.  85 

this  opinion,  inasmuch  as  Mohammed  called  him- 
self the  son  of  two  men  who  had  been  set  apart 
as  sacrifices,  meaning  thereby  Ismael  and  his 
own  father,  Abd  Allah,  whom  his  grand-father, 
Abdul  Mattalib,  intended  to  offer  in  fulfillment  of 
a  vow,  but,  by  the  decision  of  a  priestess,  re- 
deemed with  a  hundred  camels. 

When  Abraham  awoke,  he  was  in  doubt 
whether  he  should  regard  his  dream  as  a  Di- 
vine command  or  as  the  instigation  of  Satan. 
But,  when  the  same  dream  was  yet  twice  re- 
peated, he  dared  not  to  hesitate  any  longer,  and 
therefore  took  a  knife  and  a  rope,  and  said  to 
Ismael,  "  Follow  me  !" 

When  Iblis  saw  this,  he  thought  within  him- 
self, "  An  act  so  well  pleasing  to  Allah  I  must 
seek  to  prevent,"  and  he  assumed  the  form  of  a 
man,  and,  going  to  Hagar,  said  to  her,  "  Know- 
est  thou  whither  Abraham  has  gone  with  thy 
son  ?"  Hagar  answered,  "  He  has  gone  into 
the  forest  to  cut  wood." 

"  It  is  false,"  replied  Iblis  ;  "  he  intends  to 
slaughter  thy  son." 

"  How  is  this  possible  ?"  rejoined  Hagar ; 
"  does  he  not  love  him  as  much  as  I  ?" 

"  Yea,"  continued  Iblis,  "  but  he  believes  that 
Allah  has  commanded  it." 

"  If  it  be  so,"  rejoined  Hagar,  "  let  him  do 
what  he  believes  pleasing  to  Allah." 
H 


8b  THE    TEMPTER. 

When  Iblis  could  effect  nothing  with  Hagar, 
he  betook  himself  to  Ismael,  and  said,  "  Know- 
est  thou  for  what  end  this  wood  which  thou 
hast  gathered  is  to  serve  ?" 

Ismael  replied,  "  It  is  for  our  use  at  home." 

*'  No  !"  rejoined  Iblis  ;  "  thy  father  designs  to 
offer  thee  as  a  sacrifice,  because  he  dreamed 
that  Allah  had  commanded  him," 

"  Well,"  replied  Ismael,  "  if  it  be  so,  let  him 
fulfill  on  me  the  will  of  Allah." 

Iblis  then  turned  to  Abraham  himself,  and 
said,  "  Sheik,  whither  goest  thou  ?" 

"To  cut  wood." 

"  For  what  purpose  ?" 

Abraham  was  silent ;  but  Iblis  continued,  "  I 
know  thou  designest  to  offer  up  thy  son,  be- 
cause Iblis  has  suggested  it  to  thee  in  a  dream  ;" 
but  at  these  words  Abraham  recognized  Iblis, 
and  flinging  at  him  seven  pebbles,  a  ceremony 
since  observed  by  every  pilgrim,  he  said,  "  Get 
thee  gone,  enemy  of  Allah ;  I  will  act  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  my  Lord."  Satan  went  away 
enraged,  but  stepped  yet  twice  more  in  a  differ- 
ent form  into  Abraham's  way,  seeking  to  stag- 
ger his  resolve.  Abraham  discovered  him  each 
time,  and  each  time  flung  at  him  seven  pebbles.* 

*  The  Midrash,  p.  28,  says,  "  Abraham  left  Sarah  early  in  the 
morning,  while  she  slept ;  but  Satan  placed  himself  in  his  way 
as  an  aged  man,  and  said,  '  Whither  goest  thon  '* 


THE    SACRIFICE    OF    ISMAET,.  87 

When  they  came  to  Mina,  upon  the  spot 
where  Ismael  was  to  be  offered,  the  latter  said 
to  Abraham,  "  Father,  bind  me  tightly,  that  I 
may  not  resist,  and  thrust  back  thy  robe,  that 
it  may  not  be  sprinkled  with  my  blood,  lest  my 
mother  mourn  at  the  sight  of  it.  Sharpen  thy 
knife  well,  that  it  may  kill  me  quickly  and  easi- 
ly, for,  after  all,  death  is  hard.  When  thou 
reachest  home  again,  greet  my  mother,  and 
lake  this  robe  to  her  as  a  memento." 

Abraham  obeyed  weepingly  the  will  of  his 
son,  and  was  just  on  the  point  of  slaying  him, 

"  '  I  desire  to  pray.' 

"'  But  to  what  purpose  are  wood  and  knife?' 

"  *  I  may  remain  absent  some  days,  and  must  needs  prepare 
my  food.' 

" '  Should  a  man  like  thee  slay  his  son  who  was  given  him  in 
old  age  ?  how  wilt  thou  answer  for  it  in  the  day  of  judgment  V 

"  '  God  has  commanded  me.' 

^'He  then  presented  himself  to  Isaac  in  the  form  of  a  youth, 
and  said,  '  Whither  goest  thou  ?' 

"  '  To  be  instructed  by  my  father  in  virtue  and  knowledge.' 

"  '  During  thy  lifetime  or  after  death  ?  for  he  verily  designs  to 
slay  thee.' 

'"It  matters  not ;  I  shall  follow  him.' 

«'  He  went  to  Sarah,  and  asked  her,  '  Where  is  thy  husband  '' 

"  '  He  has  gone  to  his  business  !' 

"  '  And  thy  son  V 

"  '  He  is  with  him !' 

<' '  Didst  thou  not  resolve  that  he  should  not  go  beyond  thy 
door  alone  ?' 

'' '  He  must  pray  with  his  father.' 

^' '  Thou  shalt  not  see  him  again  !' 

"  *  The  Lord  do  unto  my  son  according  to  His  will '' " 


88 


THE  INVISIBLE  COLLAR. 


when  the  portals  of  heaven  were  opened,  and 
the  angels  looked  on  and  cried,  "  Well  does  this 
man  deserve  to  be  called  the  friend  of  Allah !" 

At  this  moment  the  Lord  placed  an  invisible 
collar  of  copper  round  Ismael's  neck,  so  that 
Abraham,  spite  of  his  utmost  exertions,  was  un- 
able to  wound  him.  But  when  he  put  his  knife 
to  Ismael's  neck  a  third  time,  he  heard  a  voice, 
which  cried,  "  Thou  hast  fulfilled  the  command 
which  was  imparted  to  thee  in  thy  dream  !" 

At  this  call  he  raised  his  eyes,  and  Gabriel 
stood  before  him  with  a  fine  horned  ram,  and 
said,  "  Slaughter  this  ram  as  the  ransom  of  thy 
son." 

This  ram  was  the  same  which  Abel  offered, 
and  which,  in  the  mean  time,  had  pastured  in 
Paradise.* 

The  sacrifice  over,  Abraham  returned  to  Syr- 
ia, but  Ismael  remained  with  his  mother  among 
the  Amalekites,  of  whom  he  took  a  wife. 

One  day  Abraham  desired  to  visit  him  ;  but 
Ismael  was  engaged  in  the  chase,  and  his  wife 
was  alone  at  home.  Abraham  greeted  her,  but 
she  did  not  return  his  salutation.     He  prayed 

*  Rabbi  Elieser  teaches  :  the  ram  came  from  the  mountain. 
Rabbi  Jehoshua  :  an  angel  brought  it  from  Paradise,  where  it  pas- 
tured under  the  tree  of  eternal  life,  and  drank  from  the  brook 
which  flows  beneath  it.  The  ram  diffused  its  perfume  through- 
out the  whole  world.  It  was  brought  into  Paradise  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  sixth  day  of  the  creation.— ikfidrasA,  p.  28. 


HOSPITALITY.  89 

her  to  admit  him  for  the  night,  but  she  refused 
iis  prayer;  he  then  demanded  something  to  eat 
and  to  drink,  and  she  answered,  "  I  have  nothing 
but  some  impure  water."  Then  Abraham  left 
her,  and  said,  "  When  thy  husband  returns,  greet 
him,  and  say,  he  must  change  the  pillars  of  his 
house."  When  Ismael  came  home  to  inquire 
whether  any  one  had  been  with  her  during  his 
absence,  she  described  Abraham,  and  told  what 
he  had  enjoined  upon  her.  By  her  description 
Ismael  recognized  his  father,  and  his  words  he 
interpreted,  that  he  should  separate  himself  from 
his  wife,  which  he  soon  did. 

Not  long  after  this,  the  Djorhamides  wander- 
ed from  Southern  Arabia  to  the  regions  of  Mec- 
ca, and  drove  out  the  Amalekites,  who  by  their 
vicious  courses  had  called  down  on  themselves 
the  punishment  of  Allah.  Ismael  married  the 
daughter  of  their  king,  and  learned  of  them  the 
Arabic  tongue.  This  woman,  too,  Abraham 
once  found  alone,  and,  on  his  greeting  her,  she 
returned  his  salutation  kindly,  rose  up  before 
him,  and  bade  him  welcome.  On  his  inquiring 
how  it  fared  with  her,  she  replied,  "  Well,  my 
lord.  We  have  much  milk,  good  meat,  and 
fresh  water." 

"Have  you  any  corn?"  inquired  Abraham. 

"  We  shall  obtain  that  too,  by  Allah's  will. 
But  we  do  not  miss  it.  Only  alight,  and  come  in  1" 
H2 


90  IIOSPITALITV, 

"  Allah  bless  you !"  said  Abraham  ;  "  but  I 
can  not  tarry ;"  for  he  had  given  a  promise  to 
Sarah  not  to  enter  Hagar's  house. 

"  Suffer  me,  at  least,  to  wash  thy  feet,"  said 
the  wife  of  Ismael,  "  for  thou  art  indeed  covered 
with  dust." 

Abraham  then  placed  first  his  right  foot,*  and 

*  This  legend,  which  has  reference  to  Ismael,  and  which,  it 
might  be  supposed,  was  of  Arabic  origin,  and  invented  to  account 
for  the  sanctity  of  the  second  curious  stone  of  the  Kaaba,  is  found 
in  the  Midrash,  p.  27  : 

"  Ismael  married  a  wife  of  the  daughters  of  Moab,  and  her  name 
was  Asia.  After  three  years  Abraham  went  to  visit  his  son, 
having  sworn  previously  to  Sarah  not  to  alight  from  his  camel. 
He  came  toward  noon  to  Ismael's  dv^^elling,  in  which  his  wife  was 
alone. 

" '  Where  is  Ismael  V 

" '  He  is  gone  into  the  desert  with  his  mother  to  gather  dates 
and  some  other  fruits.' 

"  '  Give  me  a  little  bread  and  water,  for  I  am  fatigued  with  trav- 
eling through  the  wilderness.' 

"  '  I  have  neither  bread  nor  water.' 

"'When  Ismael  returns^  home,  tell  him  that  he  change  the 
door-posts  of  his  house,  for  they  are  not  worthy  of  him.' 

"  As  soon  as  Ismael  came,  and  she  reported  all  that  had  hap- 
pened, he  understood  what  Abraham  had  meant,  and  sent  her 
away. 

"  Hagar  then  brought  him  a  wife  from  her  father's  house :  her 
name  was  Fatima. 

"  After  three  years  Abraham  visited  his  son  again,  after  having 
again  sworn  to  Sarah  that  he  would  not  alight  at  his  house. 

"  He  arrived  this  time,  too,  at  Ismael's  dwelling  toward  noon, 
and  found  Fatima  quite  alone.  But  she  brought  him  immediately 
all  that  he  desired.  Then  Abraham  prayed  for  Ismael  to  the  Lord, 
and  his  house  was  filled  with  gold  and  goods. 

"  When  Ismael  returned,  and  learned  from  Fatima  what  had 
happened,  he  rejoiced  greatly,  and  knew  that  Abraham's  parental 
lovf-  for  him  was  not  yet  extinct." — Midrash,  p.  28 


THE    FOOT-PRINT. THE    KAAB.A,  91 

then  his  left,  upon  a  stone  which  lay  before  Is- 
mael's  house,  and  suffered  himself  to  be  washed. 
This  stone  was  afterward  employed  in  the  tem- 
ple, and  the  prints  of  Abraham's  feet  are  visible 
upon  it  to  this  day. 

After  she  had  washed  him,  Abraham  said, 
"  When  Ismael  returns,  tell  him  to  strengthen  the 
pillars  of  his  house  !" 

As  soon  as  Ismael  came  home,  his  wife  related 
to  him  what  had  happened  to  her  with  a  stran- 
ger, and  what  message  he  had  left. 

Ismael  inquired  of  his  appearance  ;  and  when, 
from  her  answers,  he  recognized  who  it  was,  he 
rejoiced  greatly,  and  said,  "  It  was  my  father 
Abraham,  the  friend  of  Allah,  who  was  doubtless 
well  satisfied  with  thy  reception,  for  his  words 
signify  nothing  else  than  that  I  should  bind  thee 
more  closely  to  me." 

When  Abraham  was  a  hundred  and  ten  years 
old,  Allah  commanded  him,  in  a  dream,  to  follow 
after  the  Sakinah;  that  is,  a  zephyr  with  two 
heads  and  two  wings. 

Abraham  obeyed,  and  journeyed  after  the 
wind,  which  was  changed  into  a  cloud,  at  Mec- 
ca, on  the  spot  where  the  temple  still  stands.  A 
voice  then  called  to  him,  "  Build  me  a  temple  on 
the  spot  where  the  cloud  is  resting." 

Abraham  began  to  dig  up  the  earth,  and  dis- 
covered the  foundation-stone  which  Adam  had 


92  ALEXANDEIl    THE    GREAT. 

laid.  He  then  commanded  Ismael  to  bring  the 
other  stones  required  for  the  building.  But  the 
black  stone,  which  since  the  flood  had  been  con- 
cealed in  heaven,  or,  according  to  the  opinion 
of  some  of  the  learned,  on  Mount  Abu  Kubeis, 
the  angel  Gabriel  brought  himself  This  stone 
was  even  at  that  time  so  white  and  brilliant,  that 
it  illuminated  during  the  night  the  whole  sacred 
region  belonging  to  Mecca. 

One  day,  while  Abraham  was  engaged  with 
Ismael  in  the  building  of  the  temple,  there  came 
to  him  Alexander  the  Great,  and  asked  what  he 
was  building;  and  when  Abraham  told  him  it 
was  a  temple  to  the  one  only  God,  in  whom  he 
believed,  Alexander  acknowledged  him  as  the 
messenger  of  Allah,  and  encompassed  the  tem- 
ple seven  times  on  foot. 

With  regard  to  this  Alexander,  the  opinions 
of  the  learned  vary.  Some  believe  him  to  have 
been  a  Greek,  and  maintain  that  he  governed  the 
whole  world ;  first,  like  Nimrod  before  him,  as 
an  unbeliever,  and  then,  like  Solomon  after  him, 
as  a  believer. 

Alexander  was  the  lord  of  light  and  darkness  : 
when  he  went  out  with  his  army  the  light  was 
before  him,  and  behind  him  was  the  darkness, 
so  that  he  w^as  secure  against  all  ambuscades, 
and  by  means  of  a  miraculous  white  and  black 
standard,  he  had  also  the  power  to  transform  the 


ALEXANDER    THE    GREAT.  93 

clearest  day  into  midnight  darkness,  or  black 
night  into  noonday,  just  as  he  unfurled  the  one 
or  the  other.  Thus  he  was  unconquerable,  since 
he  rendered  his  troops  invisible  at  his  pleasure, 
and  came  down  suddenly  upon  his  foes.  He 
journeyed  through  the  whole  world  in  quest  of 
the  fountain  of  eternal  life,  of  which,  as  his  sacred 
books  taught  him,  a  descendant  of  Sam  (Shem) 
was  to  drink,  and  become  immortal.  But  his 
vizier,  Al-kidhr,  anticipated  him,  and  drank  of  a 
fountain  in  the  farthest  west,  thus  obtaining  eter- 
nal youth ;  and  when  Alexander  came  it  was 
already  dried  up,  for,  according  to  the  Divine 
decree,  it  had  been  created  for  one  man  only. 
His  surname,  the  Two-cornered,  he  obtained, 
according  to  some,  because  he  had  wandered 
through  the  whole  earth  unto  her  two  corners 
in  the  east  and  west ;  but,  according  to  others, 
because  he  wore  two  locks  of  hair  which  re- 
sembled horns ;  and,  according  to  a  third  opinion, 
his  crown  had  two  golden  horns,  to  designate 
his  dominion  over  the  empires  of  the  Greeks  and 
Persians.  But,  lastly,  it  is  maintained  by  many, 
that  one  day,  in  a  dream,  he  found  himself  so 
close  to  the  sun  that  he  was  able  to  seize  him  at 
his  two  ends  in  the  east  and  west,  and  was 
therefore  tauntingly  called  the  Two-cornered. 

The  learned  are  similarly  divided  respecting 
the  time  in  which  he  lived,  his  birthplace,  parent- 


94  PILGRIMAGE. 

age,  and  residence.  Most  of  them,  however, 
believe  that  there  were  two  sovereigns  of  this 
name  among  the  kings  of  antiquity  :  the  elder  of 
these,  who  is  spoken  of  in  the  Koran,  was  a  de- 
scendant of  Ham,  and  contemporary  of  Abra- 
ham, and  journeyed  with  Al-kidhr  through  the 
whole  earth  in  search  of  the  fountain  of  eternal 
life,  and  was  commissioned  by  Allah  to  shut  up 
behind  an  indestructible  wall  the  wild  nations  of 
Jajug  and  Majug,  lest  they  should  have  extirpa- 
ted all  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  world.  The 
younger  Alexander  was  the  son  of  Philip  the 
Greek,  one  of  the  descendants  of  Japhet,  and  a 
disciple  of  the  wise  Aristotle  at  Athens. 

But  let  us  return  to  Abraham,  who,  after  his 
interview  with  Alexander  and  Al-kidhr,  contin- 
ued the  building  of  the  temple  until  it  had  attain- 
ed a  height  of  nine,  a  breadth  of  thirty,  and  a 
depth  of  twenty-two  cubits.  He  then  ascended 
the  Mount  Abu  Kubeis  ,and  cried,  "O  ye  in- 
habitants of  the  earth,  Allah  commands  you  to 
make  a  pilgrimage  to  this  holy  temple.  Let  his 
commandment  be  obeyed  !" 

Allah  caused  Abraham's  voice  to  be  heard  by 
all  men  both  living  and  uncreated  ;  and  all,  even 
the  children  still  in  their  mothers'  womb,  cried 
with  one  voice,  "  We  obey  thy  commandment, 
O  Allah  !"  Abraham,  together  with  the  pilgrims, 
then  performed  those  ceremonies  which  are  yet 


DCATH    OF    ABKAHAM.  95 

observed  to  this  day,  appointed  Ismael  as  the 
lord  of  the  Kaaba,  and  returned  to  his  son  Isaac 
in  Palestine. 

When  the  latter  attained  the  age  of  manhood, 
Abraham's  beard  became  gray,  which  astonish- 
ed him  not  a  little,  since  no  man  before  him  had 
ever  turned  gray.*  But  Allah  had  performed 
this  wonder  that  Abraham  might  be  distinguish- 
ed from  Isaac.  For  as  he  was  a  hundred  years 
old  when  Sarah  bore  Isaac,  the  people  of  Pales- 
tine derided  him,  and  doubted  of  Sarah's  inno- 
cence ;  but  Allah  gave  to  Isaac  such  a  perfect 
resemblance  of  his  father,  that  every  one  who 
saw  him  was  convinced  of  Sarah's  conjugal 
fidelity.  But,  to  prevent  their  being  mistaken 
for  each  other,  Allah  caused  gray  hairs  to  grow 
on  Abraham  as  a  mark  of  distinction;  and  it  is 
only  since  that  time  that  the  hair  loses  its  dark 
colour  in  old  age.  When  Abraham  had  attain- 
ed to  the  age  of  two  hundred,  or,  as  some  main- 
tain, of  a  hundred  and  five-and-seventy  years, 
Allah  sent  to  him  the  Angel  of  Death  in  the 

*  When  Sarah  weaned  her  son,  Abraham  made  a  feast.  Then 
said  the  heathen,  "  Behold  this  aged  couple,  who  have  taken  up 
a  child  from  the  streets,  pretending  it  was  their  own,  and  to  ob- 
tain credit  more  easily,  have  given  a  feast  in  its  honor."  But  the 
Lord  made  Isaac  so  strikingly  to  resemble,  &c.  Also,  in  p.  15, 
among  the  wonders  which  were  don-e  in  honor  of  Abraham,  is 
enumerated  his  turning  gray.  And  again,  p.  30,  "  Before  Abra- 
ham, there  was  no  special  mark  of  old  age,"  &c. — Midrash,  p.  27, 
15,  30. 


96  THE    SEPULCHER    OF    CHALIL. 

form  of  an  aged  man.  Abraham  invited  him 
to  a  meal ;  but  the  Angel  of  Death  trembled  so 
much,  that,  before  he  could  put  a  morsel  into 
his  mouth,  he  besmeared  therewith  his  forehead, 
eyes,  and  nose.  Abraham  then  inquired, "  Why 
tremblest  thou  thus  ?" 

"From  age,"  replied  the  Angel  of  Death. 
"  How  old  art  thou  ?" 
"One  year  older  than  thyself!" 
Abraham  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and  ex- 
claimed, "  O  Allah !  take  my  soul  to  thee  before 
I  fall  into  such  a  state !" 

"  In  what  manner  w^ouldst  thou  like  to  die, 
friend  of  Allah  ?"  inquired  the  Angel  of  Death. 

"  I  should  like  to  breathe  out  my  life  at  the  mo- 
ment when  I  fall  down  before  Allah  in  prayer." 
The  angel  remained  with  Abraham  until  he 
fell  down  in  prayer,  and  then  put  an  end  to  his 
life. 

Abraham  was  buried  by  his  son  Isaac,  near 
Sarah,  in  the  cave  of  Hebron.  For  many  ages 
the  Jews  visited  this  cave,  in  which  also  Isaac 
and  Jacob  were  afterward  -buried.  The  Christ- 
ians subsequently  built  a  church  over  it,  which 
was  changed  into  a  mosque  when  Allah  gave 
this  country  unto  the  Mussulmans.  But  Hebron 
was  called  Kirjath  Abraham  (the  city  of  Abra- 
ham), or  simply  Chalil  (Friend),  and  is  knowm 
by  that  name  unto  this  day. 


JOSEPH. 

Joseph,  the  son  of  Jacob,  the  son  of  Isaac,  the 
son  of  Abraham,  was  from  his  childhood  the  dar- 
Hng  of  his  father ;  and  as  he  Uved  with  an  aunt 
at  a  distance  from  his  home,  Jacob's  constant 
longing  for  him  added  much  to  the  fervor  of  his 
parental  love.  When  he  was  only  six  years  of 
age,  his  aunt  became  so  much  attached  to  him, 
that,  in  order  to  prevent  her  ever  being  obliged 
to  part  with  him,  she  invented  the  following  ex- 
pedient. She  took  the  family  girdle  which  she, 
being  the  first-born,  had  inherited  from  Abraham 
through  Isaac  (it  was  the  same  which  Abraham 
wore  on  his  loins  when  thrown  into  the  pile), 
girded  Joseph  with  it,  and  accused  him  of  theft, 
so  that,  according  to  the  laws  of  those  days,  he 
became  her  slave  for  life.  It  was  not  until  after 
her  death  that  he  returned  again  to  the  house  of 
his  father,  and  was  naturally  treated  by  him 
with  greater  care  and  tenderness  than  his  elder 
brothers.  Moreover,  he  was  his  eldest  son  by 
Rachael,  the  only  one  of  his  wives  whom  he 
had  truly  loved. 

One  morning  Joseph  told  his  father  that  he 
had  seen  in  a  dream  how  he  and  his  brothers 
had  each  set  a  twig  in  the  earth,  and  how  those 
7  I 


98  DREAMS. 

of  his  brothers  withered,  while  his  began  to 
bloom,  and  shaded  theirs  with  its  foliage  and 
blossoms.  Jacob  was  so  absorbed  with  the 
meaning  of  this  dream,  that  he  left  a  poor  man 
who  stood  before  him  holding  out  his  hand  for 
alms  unobserved,  and  allowed  him  to  depart 
without  a  gift.  It  was  this  transgression  that 
brouofht  on  him  all  those  sufferino^s  bv  which  he 

O  CD  ^ 

was  soon  to  be  visited.  On  the  following  morn- 
ing Joseph  again  related  to  his  father :  "  I  have 
dreamed  that  the  sun,  moon,  and  the  eleven  stars 
bowed  down  to  me."  Jacob  could  now  no  lon- 
ger remain  in  doubt  as  to  the  meaning  of  these 
dreams ;  he  perceived  in  them  Joseph's  future 
greatness,  but  recommended  him  not  to  speak  of 
them  to  his  brothers,  who  had  long  since  envied 
him  for  the  greater  tenderness  of  his  father. 
But,  although  Jacob  knew  the  sentiments  of  his 
sons  toward  Joseph,  yet  was  he  one  day  per- 
suaded by  them  to  send  him  with  them  to  the 
pasture.  Scarcely  were  they  alone  in  the  open 
field,  when  they  began  to  beat  and  to  mock  him. 
He  would  have  sunk  under  their  ill  treatment  if 
Allah  had  not  filled  the  heart  of  his  brother  Ju- 
dah  with  compassion  toward  him.  Judah  said, 
"  Do  not  kill  your  brother  ;  if  we  but  regain  the 
undivided  love  of  our  father,  we  have  attained 
our  object.  Let  us  therefore  cast  him  into  a  pit 
till  a  caravan  passes,  and  then  sell  him  as  a 


ENVY.  99 

slave."  Judah's  advice  was  taken,  and  Joseph, 
stripped  of  his  garments,  •  was  cast  into  a  pit, 
where  he  must  have  been  drowned  had  not  Al- 
lah caused  the  angel  Gabriel  to  place  a  large 
stone  under  his  feet.  Gabriel  at  the  same  time 
was  instructed  to  illumine  the  pit  by  a  jewel,  and 
to  cry,  "  Joseph,  the  time  will  come  when  thou 
shalt  call  thy  brothers  to  account,  without  their 
suspecting  it."  The  brothers  then  left  the  pit, 
but  before  returning  home  they  slaughtered  a 
lamb,  and  besmeared  Joseph's  upper  garment 
with  its  blood,  which  can  not  be  distinguished 
from  that  of  man.  They  then  said  to  their  fa- 
ther, "  While  we  were  engaged  in  our  occupa- 
tions, there  came  a  wolf  and  tore  Joseph,  who 
had  remained  with  the  stores ;  and,  on  seeking 
him  afterward,  we  found  this  upper  garment, 
which  we  recognized  as  his." 

"  How,"  said  Jacob,  "  shall  I  believe  that  a 
wolf  has  devoured  my  son,  while  there  is  not  a 
single  rent  in  this  garment?"  (for  the  brothers 
had  forgotten  likewise  to  damage  the  garment). 
"  Besides,"  he  added,  "  there  has  no  wolf  been 
seen  in  these  regions  for  many  years." 

"  We  imagined,  indeed,  that  thou  wouldst  not 
give  credence  to  our  words,"  said  one  of  his 
sons  ;  "  but  let  us  search  for  the  wolf,"  he  con- 
tinued, turning  to  his  brothers,  "  in  order  to  con- 
vince our  father  of  the  truth  of  our  statemei^t," 


100  THE    WOLF. 

They  then  provided  themselves  with  all  kinds 
of  implements  of  the  chase,  and  scoured  the 
whole  region  round  about,  until  they  at  last 
found  a  large  wolf,  which  they  caught  alive,  and 
accused  it  before  Jacob  as  Joseph's  murderer ; 
but  Allah  opened  the  mouth  of  the  wolf,  and  he 
said, 

"  Believe  not,  O  son  of  Isaac  !  the  accusation 
of  thy  envious  sons.  I  am  a  wolf  from  a  foreign 
country,  and  have  long  been  wandering  about  to 
seek  my  young  one,  which  one  morning  I  miss- 
ed on  waking.  How  should  I,  who  am  mourn- 
ing the  loss  of  a  wild  beast,  bereave  the  prophet 
of  Allah  of  his  son  ?" 

Jacob  then  delivered  the  wolf  from  the  hands 
of  his  sons,  and  sent  them  away  again,  so  as  not 
to  have  their  faces  before  his  eyes  ;  only  Benja- 
min, his  youngest  son,  he  kept  with  him.  The 
ten  brothers  thereupon  returned  to  the  pit  in 
which  they  had  left  Joseph,  and  arrived  at  the 
very  moment  when  he  was  freed  by  some  Be- 
douins, who,  on  their  march  from  Madjan  to 
Egypt,  had  sought  to  draw  water  from  this  pit, 
but  had  brought  up  Joseph  instead,  who  clung 
to  their  bucket.  '•  This  youth,"  said  Judah  to  the 
leader  of  the  caravan,  ere  Joseph  could  utter  a 
word,  "is  our  slave,  w^hom  we  have  confined  in 
this  pit  on  account  of  his  disobedience.  If  you 
will  take  him  with  you  to  Egypt,  and  sell  him 


JUriEFH    SULU    INTO    EGYPT.  101 

there,  you  may  buy  him  from  us  at  a  moderate 
rate."  The  leader  of  the  caravan  was  greatly 
rejoiced  at  this  offer,  for  he  knew  well  that  so 
beautiful  a  youth  would  .bring  him  much  gain. 
He  bought  him,  therefore,  for  a  few  drachms  ; 
and  Joseph  did  not  break  silence,  for  he  feared 
that  his  brothers  might  put  him  to  death  if  he 
contradicted  them.  Trusting  in  Allah,  he  jour- 
neyed quietly  with  the  Bedouins  until  he  was 
passing  the  grave  of  his  mother.  There  his 
grief  overpowered  him,  and,  casting  himself  on 
the  ground,  he  wept  and  prayed.  The  leader 
of  the  caravan  struck  him,  and  would  have  drag- 
ged him  away  by  force,  when  suddenly  a  black 
cloud  overspread  the  sky,  so  that  he  started  back 
affrighted,  and  prayed  Joseph  so  long  to  forgive 
him,  till  the  darkness  again  disappeared. 

The  sun  was  declining  when  the  caravan  en- 
tered the  capital  of  Egypt,  which  w^as  then  gov- 
erned by  Rajjan,  a  descendant  of  the  Amalekites. 
But  Joseph's  face  shone  brighter  than  the  noon- 
day sun,  and  the  singular  light  which  it  diffused 
attracted  all  the  maidens  and  matrons  to  their 
windows  and  terraces.  On  the  following  day 
he  was  exposed  for  sale  before  the  royal  palace. 
The  richest  women  of  the  city  sent  their  hus- 
bands and  guardians  to  buy  him  ;  but  they  were 
outbidden  by  Potiphar,  the  treasurer  of  the  king, 
who  was  childless,  and  designed  to  adopt  Joseph 
I  2 


102  ZLLEICHA. 

as  his  son.  Zuleicha,  the  wile  of  Potiphar,  le- 
ceived  Joseph  kindly,  and  gave  him  new  robes  ; 
she  Hkewise  appointed  him  a  separate  summer- 
house  for  his  abode,  because  he  refused  to  eat 
with  the  Egyptians,  preferring  to  Hve  on  herbs 
and  fruits.  Joseph  Hved  six  years  as  Potiphar's 
gardener,  and,  although  Zuleicha  loved  him  pas- 
sionately since  his  first  entrance  into  her  house, 
she  conquered  her  feelings,  and  was  satisfied  to 
regard  him  from  her  kiosk  as  he  performed  his 
labors  in  the  garden.  But  in  the  seventh  year 
Zuleicha  became  lovesick :  her  cheeks  grew 
pale,  her  gaze  was  lifeless,  her  form  was  bent, 
and  her  whole  body  consumed  away.  When 
no  physician  was  able  to  heal  her,  her  nurse 
said  one  day,  "  Zuleicha,  confess  that  it  is  not  thy 
body,  but  thy  soul,  which  suffers  in  secret ;  sor- 
row is  preying  on  thy  health.  Confide  in  thy 
nurse,  who  has  fed  thee  with  her  own  substance, 
and  fostered  thee  since  thy  infancy  like  a  moth- 
er.    My  advice  may,  perhaps,  be  useful." 

Zuleicha  then  threw^  herself  into  the  arms  of 
her  aged  friend,  and  avowed  her  love  to  Joseph, 
and  her  fruitless  endeavors  during  six  years  to 
conquer  it. 

"  Be  of  good  cheer,"  said  the  matron  to  Zulei- 
cha ;  "  thou  hast  done  more  than  others  of  thy 
sex,  and  art  therefore  excusable.  Be  thyself 
again ;  eat,  drink,  dress  to  advantage,  take  thy 


THE    PRISON.  lOS 

bath,  that  thy  former  beauty  return  ;  then  shall 
Joseph's  love  surely  exceed  thy  own.  Besides, 
is  he  not  thy  slave  ?  and  from  mere  habit  of  obe- 
dience he  will  gratify  all  thy  wishes." 

Zuleicha  followed  her  advice.  In  a  short  time 
she  w^as  as  blooming  and  healthful  as  before ; 
for  she  thought  that  only  a  favorable  opportunity 
was  needed  to  crown  her  wishes  with  success. 

But  Joseph  resisted  all  her  allurements ;  and 
when  she  at  length  found  that  all  her  efforts  to 
lead  him  astray  were  in  vain,  she  accused  him 
before  her  husband  Potiphar,  who  threw  him 
into  prison  ;  but  Allah,  who  knew  his  innocence, 
changed  the  dark  cell  in  which  he  was  confined 
to  a  bright  and  cheerful  abode.  He  also  com- 
manded a  fountain  to  spring  up  in  the  midst 
thereof,  and  a  tree  rose  at  his  door,  which  gave 
him  shade  and  pleasant  fruit. 

Joseph,  who  was  soon  universally  known  and 
feared  for  his  w^isdom  and  the  skill  which  he 
possessed  to  interpret  dreams,  had  not  been  long 
in  prison  when  the  following  circumstance  oc- 
curred :  The  King  of  the  Greeks,  who  was  then 
at  war  with  Egypt,  sent  an  ambassador  to  Raj- 
jan,  ostensibly  with  the  design  of  negotiating  for 
peace,  but  in  reality  only  to  seek  the  means  of 
slaying  this  heroic  king.  The  ambassador  ad- 
dressed himself  to  a  Grecian  matron  who  had 
for  many  years  lived  in  Egypt,  and  asked  her 


104  THE    GREEK    AMBASSADOR. 

advice.  "  I  know  of  no  better  means,"  said  the 
Grecian  to  her  countryman, "  than  to  bribe  either 
the  king's  chief  cook  or  his  butler  to  poison  him." 
The  ambassador  made  the  acquaintance  of  them 
both,  but,  finding  the  chief  cook  the  most  tract- 
able, he  cultivated  a  closer  intimacy  with  him, 
until  he  succeeded  at  last,  by  means  of  a  few 
talents  of  gold,  in  determining  him  to  poison  the 
king. 

As  soon  as  he  supposed  that  he  had  secured 
the  object  of  his  mission,  he  prepared  for  his 
departure,  but  previously  visited  his  country- 
woman, with  the  intention  of  communicating  to 
her  the  chief  cook's  promise  ;  but,  as  she  was 
not  alone,  he  could  merely  say  that  he  had  evey 
reason  to  be  gratified  with  his  success.  These 
words  of  the  ambassador  soon  reached  the  king's 
ears ;  and  as  they  could  not  be  referred  to  his 
ostensible  mission,  since  the  negotiations  for 
peace,  on  account  of  which  he  alleged  that  he 
had  come,  were  entirely  broken  off,  and  the  war 
had  already  recommenced,  some  secret  or  other 
was  suspected.  The  Grecian  was  led  before 
the  king,  and  tortured,  until  she  confessed  all  that 
she  knew  ;  and  as  Rajjan  did  not  know  which 
of  them  was  guilty,  he  commanded  that  both  the 
chief  cook  and  butler  should  mean  while  be  put 
into  the  same  prison  where  Joseph  was  languish- 
ing.    One  morning  they  came  to  him,  and  said, 


THE    SINGULAR    INTERPRET ATION.  105 

"  We  have  heard  of  thy  skill  in  the  interpretation 
of  dreams  ;  tell  us,  we  pray  thee,  what  we  may 
expect  from  our  dreams  of  last  night."  The 
butler  then  related  that  he  had  pressed  out 
grapes,  and  presented  the  wine  to  the  king.  But 
the  chief  cook  said  that  he  had  carried  meats  in 
a  basket  in  his  hand,  when  the  birds  came  and 
devoured  the  best  of  them..  Joseph  exhorted 
them  first  of  all  to  faith  in  one  God,  and  then 
foretold  the  butler's  restoration  to  his  former 
office,  but  to  the  chief  cook  he  predicted  the  gal- 
lows. As  soon  as  he  finished  his  speech,  both 
of  them  burst  out  in  laughter,  and  derided  him, 
for  they  had  not  dreamed  at  all,  and  merely 
meant  to  put  his  skill  to  the  test.  But  Joseph 
said  to  them,  "  Whether  your  dreams  have  been 
real  or  invented,  I  can  not  say  ;  but  what  I  have 
prophesied  is  the  judgment  of  Allah,  which  can 
not  be  turned  aside."  He  was  not  mistaken. 
The  spies  of  the  king  soon  found  out  that  the 
Greek  ambassador  had  had  frequent  interviews 
with  the.  chief  cook,  while  he  had  seen  the  butler 
but  once ;  the  former  was  therefore  condemned 
to  death,  but  the  latter  reinstated  in  his  office. 

On  leaving  the  prison,  Joseph  entreated  the 
butler  to  remember  him,  and  to  obtain  his  free- 
dom from  the  king.  The  butler  did  not  remem- 
ber him  ;  but  the  ti'ee  before  his  door  withered, 
and  his  fountain  was  dried  up,  because,  instead 


106  RELEASE    UF    JOSEPH. 

of  trusting  in  Allah,  he  had  relied  upon  the  help 
of  a  feeble  man.*  He  was  seven  years  in  prison, 
when  one  morning  he  saw  the  butler  again.  He 
came  to  lead  him  before  the  king,  who  had  had 
a  dream  which  no  one  was  able  to  interpret. 
But  Joseph  refused  to  appear  unless  he  had  first 
convinced  the  king  of  his  innocence.  He  then 
related  the  cause  of  his  imprisonment  to  the  but- 
ler, who  brought  his  answer  to  the  king,  and  the 
latter  immediately  summoned  Zuleicha  and  her 
friends.  They  confessed  that  they  had  falsely 
accused  Joseph.  Rajjan  then  sent  a  writing, 
which  not  only  restored  him  to  liberty,  but  even 
declared  the  imprisonment  which  he  had  endured 
to  have  been  unjust,  and  the  result  of  a  calumni- 
ous charge.f 

Joseph  then  put  on  the  robes  which  Rajjan 
had  sent  him,  and  was  conducted  to  the  royal 
palace,  where  the  king  had  assembled  about  him 
all  the  nobles,  the  priests,  the  astrologers,  and 
soothsayers  of  Egypt. 

"  I  saw  in  my  dream,"  said  the  king,-  as  soon 

*  The  Midrash  says,  "  Joseph  remained  yet  two  years  in  prison, 
because  he  had  asked  the  chief  butler  to  remember  him." 

t  "  Potiphar's  wife  looked  so  ill,  that  her  friends  inquired  what 
she  complained  of.  She  related  her  adventure  with  Joseph,  and 
they  said,  *  Accuse  him  before  thy  husband,  that  he  may  be  put 
in  prison.'  She  entreated  her  friends  to  accuse  him  likewise  to 
their  husbands.  They  did  so ;  and  their  husbands  came  to  Pot- 
iphar  complaining  of  Joseph's  audacious  demeanor  toward  their 
wives,"  &,c.— Midrash,  p.  45. 


JOSEPH'S    ELEVATION.  107 

as  Joseph  was  near  him,"  seven  lean  kine,  which 
devoured  seven  fat  ones;  and  seven  blasted 
ears,  which  consumed  seven  rank  and  full  ones. 
Canst  thou  tell  me  what  this  dream  signifies  ?" 

Joseph  replied,  "  Allah  will  grant  to  thy  king- 
dom seven  plentiful  years,  which  shall  be  suc- 
ceeded by  seven  years  of  famine.  Be  therefore 
provident,  and  during  the  first  seven  years  let 
as  much  grain  be  collected  and  stored  up  as 
shall  be  required  for  the  maintenance  of  thy  sub- 
jects during  the  seven  years  that  shall  follow." 

This  interpretation  pleased  the  king  so  well, 
that  he  made  Joseph  the  high  steward  of  his  do- 
minions in  Potiphar's  stead. 

He  now  traveled  through  the  country  buying 
the  grain,  which,  on  account  of  the  great  abund- 
ance, was  sold  on  most  moderate  terms,  and 
built  store-houses  every  where,  but  especially  m 
the  capital.  One  day,  while  riding  out  to  in- 
spect a  granary  beyond  the  city,  he  observed 
a  beggar  in  the  street,  whose  whole  appearance, 
though  most  distressing,  bore  the  distinct  traces 
of  former  greatness.  Joseph  approached  her 
compassionately,  and  held  out  to  her  a  handful 
of  gold.  But  she  refused,  and  said,  sobbing 
aloud,  "  Great  prophet  of  Allah,  I  am  unworthy 
of  thy  gift,  although  my  transgression  has  been 
the  stepping-stone  to  thy  present  fortune." 
At  these  words,  Joseph  regarded  her  more 


108 


FAMINE    IJV    EGYPT. 


closely,  and  behold,  it  was  Zuleicha,  the  wife  of 
his  lord.  He  inquired  after  her  husband,  and 
was  told  that  he  had  died  of  sorrow  and  poverty- 
soon  after  his  deposition. 

On  hearing  this,  Joseph  led  Zuleicha  to  a  rel- 
ative of  the  king,  where  she  was  treated  like  a 
sister,  and  she  soon  appeared  to  him  as  bloom- 
ing and  youthful  as  at  the  time  of  his  entrance 
into  her  house.  He  asked  her  hand  from  the 
king,  and  married  her  with  his  permission,  and 
she  bore  him  two  sons  before  the  frightful  years 
of  famine,  during  which  the  Egyptians  were 
obliged  to  sell  to  Rajjan,  first  their  gold,  their 
jewelry,  and  other  costly  things,  for  corn ;  then 
their  estates  and  slaves,  and  at  last  their  own 
persons,  their  wives  and  children. 

Yet  not  only  in  Egypt,  but  even  in  the  ad- 
jacent countries,  a  great  famine  prevailed. 

In  the  land  of  Canaan,  too,  there  was  no  more 
corn  to  be  found,  and  Jacob  was  forced  to  send 
all  his  sons  save  Benjamin  to  buy  provisions  in 
Egypt.  He  recommended  them  to  enter  the 
capital  by  the  ten  different  gates,  so  as  not  to 
attract  the  evil  eye  by  the  beauty  of  their  ap- 
pearance, and  to  avoid  public  attention.* 

*  Jacob  said  to  his  sons,  "  Do  not  enter  by  one  gate,  because 
of  the  evil  eye."  Joseph  expected  his  brothers,  and  therefore  com- 
manded the  keepers  of  the  gates  to  report  every  day  the  names  of 
arriving  strangers.  One  day  the  tjrst  keeper  brought  him  the  name 
of  Reuben  ;  the  second  the  name  of  Simeon ;  and  so  on,  until  he 


THE    SPIEvS.  109 

Joseph  recognized  his  brothers,  and  called 
them  spies,  because  they  had  come  to  him  sep- 
arately, though,  according  to  their  own  confes- 
sion, they  were  brothers.  But  when,  to  excul- 
pate themselves,  they  explained  to  him  the  pe- 
culiar circumstances  of  their  family,  and,  to  jus- 
tify their  father's  carefulness,  they  spoke  of  a  lost 
brother,  Joseph  grew  so  angry,  that  he  refused 
them  the  desired  provisions,  and  demanded  of 
them  to  bring  down  their  brother  Benjamin  with 
them ;  and,  to  be  certain  of  their  return,  he  de- 
tained one  of  them  as  a  hostage. 

A  few  weeks  after  they  returned  again  with 
Benjamin. 

Jacob  was  in<l<*^d  unwilling  to  let  his  youngest 
son  depart,  for  he  feared  lest  a  misfortune  similar 
to  that  of  Joseph's  would  befall  him :  yet,  to 
escape  from  famine,  he  was  obliged  to  yield  at 
last. 

Joseph  now  directed  that  the  corn  which  they 
had  desired  should  be  measured  to  them,  but 
gave  orders  to  his  steward  to  conceal  a  silver 
cup  in  Benjamin's  sack,  to  seize  them  as  thieves 

had  received  the  name  of  Asher,  Jacob's  tenth  son.  He  then  com- 
manded all  the  store-houses  but  one  to  be  closed,  and  said  to  the 
keeper  of  that,  "  If  such  and  such  men  come,  let  them  he  taken 
and  brought  before  me." 

"  You  are  spies,"  said  he  to  his  brothers  when  they  stood  before 
him,  •'  otherwise  you  would  have  entered  the  city  by  the  same 
gate."— Midr ash,  p    46,  47. 

K 


110  BENJAMIN. 

at  the  gate  of  the  city,  and  to  lead  them  back  to 
his  palace. 

"  What  punishment."  demanded  Joseph  of  the 
brethren,  "  is  due  to  him  that  has  stolen  my 
cup?" 

"  Let  him  be  thy  slave,"  replied  the  sons  of 
Jacob,  certain  that  none  of  them  was  capable  of 
committing:  so  disn:raceful  an  act.  But  when 
their  sacks  were  opened,  and  the  cup  was  found 
in  Benjamin's,  they  cried  to  him,  "  Woe  to  thee ! 
what  hast  thou  done  ?  Why  hast  thou  followed 
the  example  of  thy  lost  brother,  who  stole  the 
idol  of  Laban  his  grand-father,  and  the  girdle 
of  his  aunt?" 

Still,  as  they  had  sworn  to  their  father  not  to 
step  before  his  face  without  Benjamin,  they 
prayed  Joseph  to  keep  one  of  their  number  as 
his  slave  in  Benjamin's  stead.  But  Joseph  in- 
sisted on  retaining  Benjamin,  and  Reuben  said 
therefore  to  his  brothers,  "  Journey  to  our  father, 
and  tell  him  all  that  has  befallen  us;  but  I.  who 
am  the  eldest  of  you,  and  have  vowed  unto  him 
to  sacrifice  my  life  rather  than  to  return  without 
Benjamin,  will  remain  here  until  he  himself  shall 
recall  me.  He  will  probably  acknowledge  that 
such  an  accident  could  not  have  been  foreseen, 
and  that,  if  our  brother  had  been  known  to  us 
as  a  thief,  we  should  not  have  pledged  ourselves 
for  him." 


JACOB    LOSES    HIS    SIGHT.  Ill 

But  Jacob  would  not  credit  the  story  of  his 
returning  sons,  and  feared  that  they  had  now 
acted  toward  Benjamin  as  they  had  formerly 
done  toward  Joseph.  He  burst  into  tears,  and 
wept  till  the  light  of  his  eyes  was  extinguished  : 
his  grief  for  Joseph  also  revived  afresh,  though 
he  had  never  ceased  to  trust  to  the  fulfillment  of 
his  dream. 

But  now  the  brothers  returned  the  third  time 
into  Eg3^pt,  determined  to  free  Benjamin  by 
force,  for  they  were  so  powerful  that  they  could 
engage  single-handed  with  whole  hosts  of  war- 
riors. Judah  especially,  when  excited  to  wrath, 
would  roar  like  a  lion,  and  kill  the  strongest  men 
with  his  voice  ;*  nor  could  he  be  pacified  until 
one  of  his  kinsmen  touched  the  prickly  bunch  of 

*  "  When  Joseph  would  have  shut  up  Simeon,  his  brothers  of- 
fered him  their  assistance,  but  he  declined  it.  Joseph  command- 
ed seventy  vahant  men  to  put  him  in  chains ;  but  when  they  ap- 
proached him,  Simeon  roared  so  loud  that  the  seventy  fell  down 
at  his  feet  and  broke  their  teeth.  Joseph  said  to  his  son  Manas- 
seh,  who  was  standing  at  his  side,  '  Chain  thou  him.'  Manasseh 
struck  him  a  single  blow,  and  bound  him  instantly ;  so  that  Sime- 
on exclaimed,  '  Certainly  this  was  the  blow  of  a  kinsman  !'  Again, 
when  Joseph  sent  Benjamin  to  prison,  Judah  cried  so  loud,  that 
Chushim,  the  son  O'f  Dan,  heard  him  in  Canaan,  and  responded. 
Joseph  feared  for  his  life,  for  Judah  was  so  enraged  that  he  wept 
blood.  Some  say  Judah  wore  five  garments,  one  over  the  other ; 
but  when  he  was  angry  his  heart  swelled  so  much  that  his  five 
garments  burst  open.  Joseph  also  cried  so  terribly,  that  one  of 
the  pillars  of  his  house  fell  in,  and  was  changed  into  sand.  Then 
Judah  said,  'He  is  valiant,  like  one  of  us.'  " — Midrash,  p.  46,  47 


112  THE    RECOGNITION. 

hair  which,  on  such  occasions,  protruded  from 
his  neck. 

However,  they  once  more  endeavored  by  en- 
treaty to  move  Joseph  to  set  Benjamin  free ;  but 
when  they  spoke  of  their  father's  love  for  him, 
he  inquired,  "What,  then,  has  become  of  Jo- 
seph ?" 

They  said,  "  A  wolf  has  devoured  him." 

But  Joseph  took  his  cup  into  his  hand,  and 
feigning  to  prophesy  out  of  it,  cried,  "  It  is  false; 
you  have  sold  him." 

When  they  denied  this  charge,  Joseph  told 
Zuleicha  to  give  him  the  parchment  which  Ju- 
dah  had  with  his  own  hand  given  to  the  Bedouin 
when  they  sold  him  ;  and  he  showed  it  to  them. 

"  We  had  a  slave  whose  name  was  Joseph," 
sa,idJudah;  and  he  grew  so  enraged  that  he 
was  on  the  point  of  roaring  aloud  ;  but  his  voice 
failed  him,  for  Joseph  had  beckoned  to  his  son 
Ephraim  to  touch  his  bunch  of  hair,  which  was 
so  long  that  it  nearly  trailed  on  the  ground. 
When  his  brothers  saw  this,  there  remained  no 
doubt  to  them  of  their  standing  before  Joseph, 
for  they  could  have  no  other  kinsman  in  Egypt. 
They  therefore  fell  down  before  him  and  cried, 
"  Thou  art  our  brother  Joseph ;  forgive  us  !" 

"  You  have  nothing  to  fear  from  me,"  replied 
Joseph,  "  and  Allah,  the  merciful,  will  also  be 
gracious  and  pardon  you.     But  rise,  and  go  up 


JOSEPH    DESIRES   TO   DIE    A    MOSLEM.         113 

quickly  to  our  father,  and  bring  him  hither. 
Take  my  garment  with  you  ;  cast  it  over  his 
face,  and  his  bhndness  will  pass  away." 

Scarcely  had  they  left  the  capital  of  Egypt 
when  the  wind  carried  the  fragrance  of  Joseph's 
garment  to  their  father,  and  when  Judah,  who 
was  hastening  in  advance  of  his  brothtis,  gave 
it  to  him,  his  eyes  were  opened  again.*  They 
now  departed  together  for  Egypt.  Joseph  came 
out  to  meet  them,  and,  having  embraced  his  fa- 
ther, exclaimed,  "  Lord,  thou  hast  now  fulfilled 
my  dreams,  and  given  me  great  power !  Cre- 
ator of  heaven  and  earth,  be  thou  my  support  in 
this  world  and  the  future  !  Let  me  die  the  death 
of  a  Moslem,  and  be  gathered  to  the  rest  of  the 
pious  !" 

Neither  Jacob  nor  Joseph  left  Egypt  any 
more ;  and  both  ordained  in  their  testaments 
that  they  should  be  buried  in  Canaan  by  the  side 
of  Abraham,  which  was  also  done.  May  the 
peace  of  Allah  be  with  them  ! 

*  The  Jewish  legend  relates,  that  when  the  brothers  learned 
Joseph's  safety,  they  were  unwilling  to  communicate  it  to  their 
father,  fearing  the  violent  effects  of  sudden  joy. 

But  the  daughter  of  Asher,  Jacob's  grand-child,  took  her  harp 
and  sung  to  him  the  story  of  Joseph's  life  and  greatness  ;  and  her 
beautiful  music  calmed  his  spirit.  Jacob  blessed  her,  and  she  was 
taken  into  Paradise  without  having  tasted  death.— E.  T. 

.8  K  2 


MOSES  AND  AARON. 

When  the  time  had  come  in  which  Allah 
again  designed  to  send  a  prophet  on  the  earth, 
Pharaoh,  the  king  of  Egypt,  had  three  dreams  in 
one  night.  In  his  first  dream  he  heard  a  voice 
which  called,  "  Pharaoh,  repent !  The  end  of 
thy  dominion  is  at  hand,  for  a  youth  of  a  foreign 
tribe  shall  humble  thee  and  thy  people  before  the 
whole  world."  The  king  awoke,  disturbed  by 
his  dream,  but  after  a  short  time  he  fell  asleep 
again,  and  there  appeared  to  him  a  lion,  which 
threatened  to  tear  a  man  in  pieces.  The  man 
was  only  armed  with  a  rod,  but  stood  still  calmly 
until  the  lion  rushed  on  him,  when  he  struck  it  a 
single  blow  with  his  rod,  and  flung  it  dead  into 
the  Nile.  The  king  awoke,  more  disturbed  than 
before,  and  was  only  able  to  sleep  again  toward 
morning ;  but  scarcely  had  he  closed  his  eyes,, 
when  he  saw  Asia,  his  virtuous  wife,  riding 
through  the  air  on  a  winged  horse.  The  horse 
flew  toward  heaven  ;  but  she  cried  to  him  a  last 
farewell,  whereupon  the  earth  split  open  under 
liis  feet,  and  swallowed  him  up.  Pharaoh  sprung 
up  from  his  couch  as  soon  as  he  awoke,  and 
summoned  Haman,  his  vizier,  commanding  him 
to  call  together  immediately  all  the  magicians, 


PHAllAOH    AND    THE    ASTROLOGERS.  1J5 

the  soothsayers,  and  astrologers  of  his  capital. 
When  they,  many  thousands  in  number,  were 
assembled  in  the  largest  hall  of  the  royal  palace, 
Pharaoh  ascended  the  throne,  and  told  his  dreams 
with  a  tremulous  voice ;  but,  although  their  in- 
terpretation was  clear  to  every  one  in  the  whole 
assembly,  no  one  ventured  to  avow  the  truth 
unto  the  king.  Yet  the  latter  divining  from  their 
ghastly  looks  what  was  passing  within  them, 
commanded  the  chief  of  the  astrologers  not  to 
conceal  any  thing,  and  assured  him  beforehand 
of  his  grace,  though  he  should  predict  the  worst. 
"  Most  mighty  king  !"  said  the  chief  of  the  as- 
trologers, a  man  ofnine-and-ninety  years  of  age, 
whose  silvery  beard  reached  down  to  his  breast, 
"  it  never  was  so  difficult  to  thy  servant  to  obey 
thy  commands  as  at  the  present  moment,  when 
I  am  forced  to  predict  to  thee  the  greatest  ca- 
lamity. One  of  thy  slaves  of  the  daughters  of 
Israel  will  bear  a  son,  or  has  perhaps  already 
borne  him,  who  shall  hurl  thee  and  thy  people 
into  the  lowest  abyss."  At  these  words  Pharaoh 
began  to  weep  aloud :  he  tore  his  crown  from 
his  head,  I'ent  his  robes,  and  struck  his  breast 
and  face  with  clinched  fists.  All  who  were 
present  wept  with  him  ;  yet  no  one  presumed  to 
speak  a  word  of  consolation.  At  last  Haman, 
the  vizier,  stepped  forward  and  said,  "  Great 
king,  my  fidelity  and  attachment  are  known  to 


1  16  THE    MASSACRE. 

thee.  Pardon,  therefore,  thy  slave,  if  he  has  the 
boldness  to  blame  thy  dejection,  and  to  suggest 
a  plan  which  will  frustrate  the  fulfillnrient  of  thy 
visions.  As  yet  the  povs^er  is  in  thy  hand,  and, 
if  thou  wilt  but  use  it  unsparingly,  so  shalt  thou 
put  to  shame  all  the  interpreters  of  thy  dream. 
Let  all  the  children  that  are  born  this  year,  and 
all  women  that  are  with  child,  be  immediately 
put  to  death,  and  thou  mayest  defy  the  appre- 
hended peril."*  Pharaoh  follow^ed  this  cruel 
counsel.  Seven  thousand  children  of  one  year 
and  under  were  strangled  forthwith,  and  as  many 
women  with  child  thrown  into  the  Nile.f 

One  night,  when  Amram,  an  Israelite,  who 

*  "Here  the  Mussulman  legend  differs  from  the  Talmud,  ac- 
cording to  which  Bileam  gave  this  counsel.  Job  was  silent ;  and 
Jethro,  the  king's  third  counselor,  endeavored  to  dissuade  the 
king  from  violence.  Bileam  was  therefore  destroyed  by  the 
Israelites.  Job  was  led  into  temptation,  and  suffered  greatly  for 
his  silence ;  but  Jethro,  who,  on  account  of  his  clemency,  was 
forced  to  flee  into  Midian,  was  rewarded  by  becoming  the  father- 
in-law  of  Moses." — Midrash,  p.  52, 

t  "In  the  year  130  after  the  settlement  of  the  Israelites  in 
Egypt,  Pharaoh  dreamed  of  an  aged  man  who  was  holding  a  bal- 
ance in  his  right  hand.  In  one  of  its  scales  he  placed  all  the 
sages  and  nobles  of  Egypt,  and  a  little  Iamb  in  the  other ;  and  it 
outweighed  them  all. 

"  Pharaoh  was  amazed  at  the  weight  of  the  lamb,  and  told  his 
dream  on  the  following  morning  to  his  attendants.  They  were 
terrified  ;  and  one  of  them  said, '  This  dream  forebodes  a  great  af- 
fliction which  one  of  the  children  of  Israel  will  bring  upon  Egypt. 
If  it  please  the  king,  let  us  issue  a  royal  edict,  commanding  every 
male  child  of  Hebrew  parents  to  be  slain  at  its  birth.'  The  king 
did  as  he  was  advised."— MdrasA,  p.  51. 


THE    ASTROLOGER.  117 

was  one  of  Pharoah's  viziers,  was  as  usual  in  at- 
tendance on  the  king,  the  angel  Gabriel  appeared 
to  him  bearing  on  one  of  his  wings  Johabed, 
Amram's  wife,  the  daughter  of  Jaser.  He  laid 
her  down  near  Pharaoh,  who  was  sunk  in  a  deep 
sleep,  and  snored  like  a  slaughtered  bull ;  and 
Gabriel  said  to  Amram, "  The  hour  is  come  when 
the  messenger  of  Allah  shall  appear  !"  He  van- 
ished after  having  spoken  these  words,  and  left 
Johabed  with  Amram  until  the  rising  of  the 
morning  star.  Then  he  carried  her  back  on  his 
wings  to  her  dwelling  before  Pharaoh  awoke. 

That  night  the  king  had  the  same  dreams 
again  which  had  so  much  disturbed  him  before. 

As  soon  as  he  awoke  he  summoned  Amram, 
and  again  commanded  him  to  convene  the  in- 
terpreters of  dreams.  But  he  had  scarcely  ut- 
tered the  word,  when  the  chief  of  the  astrolo- 
gers begged  for  admittance.  Pharaoh  wel- 
comed him,  and  inquired  what  had  led  him  so 
early  to  the  palace. 

"  Regard  for  thy  throne  and  for  thy  life,"  an- 
swered the  astrologer.  "  I  read  last  night  in  the 
stars  that  the  lad  who  shall  one  day  deprive 
thee  of  life  and  empire  has  been  conceived.  I 
could  therefore  scarcely  await  the  morning  star 
to  inform  thee  of  this  sad  occurrence.  Possibly 
thou  mayest  succeed  in  discovering  the  man 
who.  notwithstanding  thy  prohibition  and  thy 


118  VAIN    PRRrAUTIONS. 

sage  precautions,  has  found  means  of  frustrating 
thy  design." 

Pharaoh  was  the  rather  disposed  to  credit  the 
astrologer,  since  the  repetition  of  his  dream  in- 
dicated the  same.  He  therefore  reproached 
Amram  for  not  having  adopted  better  measures, 
which  might  have  rendered  impossible  the  trans- 
gression of  his  commands. 

But  Amram  said,  "  Pardon  thy  servant  if  he 
venture  to  doubt  the  infalUbihty  of  this  master's 
interpretation,  but  the  measures  which  I  have 
adopted,  and  executed  under  my  own  inspection, 
are  of  that  sort,  that  on  this  occasion  it  is  quite  in- 
comprehensible to  me.  Yesterday,  as  soon  as  I 
had  left  the  royal  palace,  I  betook  myself  to  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  and,  summoning  all  the 
men  of  Israel,  threatened  with  death  him  who 
should  under  any  pretext  whatever  remain  be- 
hind. Nevertheless,  to  make  sure  that,  if  any 
one  had  I'emained  concealed  in  his  dwelling,  he 
should  still  be  separated  from  his  wife,  I  com- 
manded all  women  to  be  shut  up  in  another  quar- 
ter of  the  city,  which,  like  the  camp  of  the  men,  I 
surrounded  with  troops,  so  that  no  one  was  able 
to  go  in  or  out.  Mean  while,  I  will  so  act  as  if  I 
were  persuaded  of  this  astrologer's  statement. 
If  thou  desire  it,  I  will  strangle  the  women,  or 
subject  them  to  severer  regulations ;  we  shall 
discover  the  guiltv  one,  and  destroy  her."     But 


THE    BIRTH    OF    MOSES.  119 

Allah  infused  compassion  toward  the  women  of 
Israel  into  Pharaoh's  heart,  and  he  contented 
himself  with  having  them  more  rigidly  guarded. 
But  these  measures,  according  to  the  decision 
of  Allah,  proved  abortive ;  for,  as  Amram  was 
not  permitted  to  move  out  of  the  royal  palace, 
Haman  did  not  in  the  least  suspect  Johabed,  and 
made  her  an  exception  from  the  common  rule, 
as  she  was  the  vizier's  wife.  Within  a  twelve- 
month from  that  time  Johabed  gave  birth  to  a 
man  child,  whom  she  called  Musa  (Moses).  She 
was  delivered  without  a  pain.* 

But  the  sorrow  of  her  heart  was  the  greater 
when  she  east  her  eyes  on  the  little  child,  whose 
face  beamed  like  the  moon  in  her  splendor,  and 
thought  of  his  death,  which  was  drawing  nigh. 
Yet  Moses  rose,  and  said,  "Fear  nothing,  my 
mother ;  the  God  of  Abraham  is  with  us." 

In  the  night  when  Moses  was  born  the  idols 

*  On  these  words,  "And  she  saw  that  the  child  was  fair," 
the  Midrash  offers  the  following  reflection  :  "  The  learned  main- 
tain that  at  the  birth  of  Moses  there  appeared  a  light  which, 
shone  over  the  whole  world,  for  in  the  account  of  the  creation 
we  have  the  same  phrase :  '  The  Lord  saw  the  light  that  it  was 
good.'" 

It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  apprehend  the  precise  point  of  the 
Rabbis.  At  the  creation  of  the  light  it  is  said  God  saw  the  light 
that  it  was  good.  The  subject  of  which  it  was  predicated  that  it 
was  good,  then  shone  over  the  whole  world.  Hence  it  is  argued, 
that,  as  the  same  predicate  is  applied  to  Moses's  face,  it  must  fol- 
low ihat  it  shone  with  similar  brightness.  This  is  no  bad  speci- 
nif     )f  Eabbinical  loffic — E.  T. 


120  MOSES    IN    THE    OVEN. 

in  all  the  temples  of  Egypt  were  dashed  down. 
Pharaoh  heard  a  voice  in  his  dream,  which  called 
to  him,  "  Turn  to  the  only  God,  the  Creator  of 
heaven  and  earth,  or  thy  destruction  is  inevita- 
ble." In  the  morning  the  astrologer  appeared 
again,  and  announced  to  Pharaoh  the  birth  of 
the  lad  who  would  one  day  be  his  destruction. 
Haman  now  commanded  all  the  dwellings  of  the 
Israelitish  women  to  be  searched  afresh,  and 
made  no  exception  even  with  Johabed's,  fearing 
lest  some  other  woman  might  have  concealed 
her  child  therein.  Johabed  had  gone  out  when 
Haman  entered  her  house,  but  had  previously 
hid  her  child  in  the  oven,  and  laid  much  wood 
before  it.  Finding  nothing  in  the  whole  house, 
Haman  commanded  the  wood  in  the  oven  to  be 
lighted,  and  went  away,  saying,  "  If  there  be  a 
child  concealed  there,  it  will  be  consumed." 
When  Johabed  returned,  and  saw  the  blazing 
fire,  she  uttered  a  frightful  cry  of  woe  :  but  Mo- 
ses called  to  her,  "Be  calm,  my  mother;  Allah 
has  given  the  fire  no  power  over  me."  But  as 
the  vizier  frequently  repeated  his  visits,  and  Jo- 
habed feared  lest  he  might  one  day  have  the 
wood  removed  instead  of  lighting  the  oven,  she 
resolved  to  intrust  her  child  to  the  Nile  rather 
than  to  expose  it  to  the  danger  of  being  dis- 
covered by  Haman.  She  obtained,  therefore,  a 
little  ark  from  Amram,  laid  Moses  in  it,  and  car- 


PROVIDENCE.  121 

ried  it  to  the  river  at  midnight ;  but,  passing  a 
sentinel,  she  was  stopped,  and  asked  what  the 
ark  contained  which  she  carried  under  her  arm. 
At  that  instant  the  earth  opened  under  the  sen- 
tinel's feet,  and  ingulfed  him  up  to  his  neck ; 
and  there  came  a  voice  out  of  the  earth,  which 
said,  ''  Let  this  woman  depart  unharmed  ;  nor 
let  thy  tongue  betray  what  thy  eyes  have  seen, 
or  thou  art  a  child  of  death."  The  soldier  shut 
his  eyes  in  token  of  obedience,  for  his  neck  was 
already  so  compressed  that  he  could  not  speak, 
and  as  soon  as  Johabed  had  passed  on,  the  earth 
vomited  him  forth  again.  When  she  arrived  at 
the  place  on  the  shore  where  she  designed  to 
conceal  the  ark  among  the  rushes,  she  beheld  a 
huge  black  serpent:  it  was  Iblis,  who  placed 
himself  in  her  way  in  this  form,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  staggering  her  resolve.  Affrighted,  she 
started  back  from  the  vile  reptile;  but  Moses 
called  to  her  from  the  ark,  "Be  without  fear, 
my  mother ;  pass  on :  my  presence  shall  chase 
away  this  serpent."  At  these  words  Iblis  van- 
ished. Johabed,  then  opening  the  ark  once 
more,  pressed  Moses  to  her  heart,  closed  it,  and. 
weeping  and  sobbing,  laid  it  among  the  reeds, 
in  hopes  that  some  compassionate  Egyptian 
woman  would  come  and  take  it  up.  But  as  she 
departed,  she  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  ex- 
claim, "  Be  not  cast  down,  O  wife  of  Amram ! 
L 


122   THE  CURE  OF  THE  SEVEN  PRINCESSES. 

we  will  bring  back  thy  son  to  thee ;  he  is  the 
elected  messenger  of  Allah." 

To  manifest  the  weakness  of  human  machi- 
nations against  that  which  the  Kalam  has  written 
on  the  heavenly  tablets  of  Fate,  Allah  had  or- 
dained that  the  child  now  at  the  mercy  of  the 
floods  should  be  saved  by  Pharaoh's  own  family. 
He  commanded,  therefore,  as  soon  as  Johabed 
had  left  the  Nile,  that  the  angel  who  was  set 
over  the  waters  should  float  the  ark  in  which 
Moses  lay  into  the  canal  which  united  Pharaoh's 
palace  with  the  river ;  for,  on  account  of  his 
leprous  daughters,  to  whom  his  physicians  had 
prescribed   bathing  in  the  Nile,  he  had   con- 
structed a  canal,  by  which  the  water  of  that 
river  was  guided  into  a  large  basin  in  the  midst 
of  the  palace  gardens.     The  eldest  of  the  seven 
princesses  first  discovered   the  little   ark,  and 
carried  it  to  the  bank  to  open  it.     On  her  re- 
moving the  lid,  there  beamed  a  light  upon  her 
which  her  eyes  were  not  able  to  endure.     She 
cast  a  veil  over  Moses,  but  at  that  instant  her 
own  face,  which  hitherto  had  been  covered  with 
scars  and  sores  of  all  the  most  hideous  colors 
imaginable,  shone  like  the  moon  in  its  brightness 
and  purity,  and  her  sisters  exclaimed  in  amaze- 
ment, "  By  what  means  hast  thou  been  so  sud- 
denly freed  from  leprosy  ?"* 

*  The  dauffhter  of  Pharaoh  went  to  the  river,  for  she  was  a  lep- 


PRESENTIMENT^?.  123 

"  By  the  miraculous  power  of  this  child,"  re- 
plied the  eldest.  "  The  glance  which  beamed 
upon  me  when  I  beheld  it  unveiled  has  chased 
away  the  impurity  of  my  body,  as  the  rising 
sun  scatters  the  gloom  of  night." 

The  six  sisters,  one  after  the  other,  now  lifted 
the  veil  from  Moses's  face,  and  they  too  became 
fair  as  if  they  had  been  formed  of  the  finest  sil- 
ver. The  eldest  then  took  the  ark  on  her  head, 
and  carried  it  to  her  mother  Asia,  relating  to 
her  in  how  miraculous  a  manner  both  she  and 
her  sisters  had  been  healed. 

Asia  took  Moses  from  the  ark,  and  brought 
him  to  Pharaoh,  followed  by  the  seven  princess- 
es. Pharaoh  started  involuntarily  when  Asia 
entered  his  chamber,  and  his  heart  was  filled 
with  dark  presentiments;  besides,  it  was  not 
customary  for  his  w^omen  to  come  to  him  unin- 
vited. But  his  face  regained  its  cheerfulness 
when  he  beheld  the  seven  princesses,  whose 
beauty  now  surpassed  all  their  contemporaries. 

"  Who  are  these  maidens  ?"  he  inquired  of 
Asia.  "  Are  they  slaves  whom  some  tributary 
prince  has  sent  to  me  ?" 

er,  and  not  permitted  to  use  warm  baths  ;  but  she  was  healed  as 
soon  as  she  stretched  out  her  hand  to  the  crying  infant,  whose 
life  she  preserved.  She  said  within  herself,  "  He  will  live  to  be  a 
man;  and  whoever  preserves  a  life  is  like  the  savior  of  a  world.'' 
For  this  cause  also  she  obtained  the  blessings  of  the  life  to  come. 
— Mid  rash,  p.  51, 


124  PRESENTIMENTS. 

"  They  are  thy  daughters,  and  here  upon  my 
arm  is  the  physician  who  has  cured  them  of 
their  leprosy." 

She  then  narrated  to  the  king  how  the  prin- 
cesses had  found  Moses,  and  how  they  had 
recovered  from  their  distemper  on  beholding 
him. 

Pharaoh  was  transported  with  joy,  and  for 
the  first  time  in  his  life  embraced  his  beloved 
daughters.  But  after  a  little  while  his  features 
were  overcast  again,  and  he  said  to  Asia,"  This 
child  must  not  live :  who  knows  whether  his 
mother  be  not  an  Israelite,  and  he  the  child  of 
whom  both  my  dreams,  as  well  as  my  astrolo- 
gers, have  foreboded  me  so  much  evil  ?" 

"Dost  thou  still  believe  in  idle  dreams,  the 
mere  whispers  of  Satan,  and  in  the  still  more 
idle  interpretations  given  by  men  who  boast  of 
reading  the  future  in  the  stars  ?  Hast  thou  not 
slain  the  young  mothers  of  Israel  and  their  chil- 
dren, and  even  searched  their  houses  ?  Besides, 
will  it  not  always  be  in  thy  power  to  destroy 
this  fragile  being?  Meanwhile,  take  it  to  thy 
palace,  in  gratitude  for  the  miraculous  cure  of 
thy  daughters." 

The  seven  princesses  seconded  the  prayers 
of  Asia,  until  Pharaoh  relented,  permitting  the 
child  to  be  brought  up  in  the  royal  palace. 
Scarcely  had  he  pronounced  the  words  of  grace, 


MOSES  BROUGHT  Ul'  IN  THE  PALACE.   125 

when  Asia  hastened  back  to  her  apartments 
with  the  child,  and  sent  for  an  Egyptian  nurse ; 
but  Moses  thrust  her  away,  for  it  was  not  the 
will  of  the  Highest  that  he  should  receive  nour- 
ishment from  a  worshiper  of  idols.*  Asia  com- 
manded another  nurse  to  be  brought ;  but  her 
also,  as  well  as  a  third  one,  Moses  would  not 
embrace.  On  the  following  morning  the  queen 
made  known  that  any  woman,  who  would  en- 
gage to  nurse  a  strange  child  for  a  handsome 
remuneration,  should  repair  to  the  royal  palace. 
After  this  the  entire  court  of  the  castle  was  filled 
with  women  and  maidens,  many  of  whom  had 
come  from  curiosity  only.  Among  the  latter 
was  Kolthum  (Miriam),  the  sister  of  Moses. 
When  she  heard  that  the  child  had  been  found 
in  an  ark  floating  on  the  water,  and  that  it  still 
refused  to  take  nourishment,  she  ran  quickly  and 
told  her  mother.  Johabed  hastened  to  the  pal- 
ace, and  was  announced  to  Asia  as  a  nurse,  for 
the  severe  regulations  against  the  Israelitish 
women  were  now  removed.  Moses  scarcely 
beheld  his  mother,  when  he  stretched  out  his 
arms  toward  her,  and  as  he  embraced  her  im- 

*  From  these  words,  his  sister  said  to  the  daughters  of  Pharaoh, 
"  Shall  I  call  a  Hebrew  nurse  ?"  We  may  conclude  that  they  had 
taken  him  (Moses)  to  all  the  Egyptian  women,  but  that  he  re- 
fused to  receive  food  from  them,  for  he  thought,  "  Shall  the  lips 
which  are  destined  to  speak  with  the  Shekinah  touch  that  which 
is  unclean?" — Midrash,  p.  51. 

L2 


126  SllAUOWtf    OF    COMING     EVENTS. 

mediately,  she  was  engaged  as  a  nurse  for  the 
space  of  two  years.  After  the  expiration  of  that 
time,  Asia  sent  her  away  with  many  rich  pres- 
ents, but  kept  Moses  with  her,  intending  to  adopt 
him  as  her  son,  since  she  had  no  male  descend- 
ants. Pharaoh  himself  became  daily  more  at- 
tached to  the  child,  and  often  spent  whole  hours 
together  in  playing  with  him.  One  day — Moses 
was  then  in  his  fourth  year — while  Pharaoh  was 
playing  with  him,  he  took  the  crown  from  the 
king's  head,  and  throwing  it  on  the  ground,  thrust 
it  away  with  his  foot.  The  king's  suspicion  was 
roused  afresh:  enraged,  he  ran  to  Asia,  re- 
proaching her  for  having  persuaded  him  to  let 
Moses  live,  and  manifested  once  more  a  desire 
to  put  him  to  death  ;*  but  Asia  laughed  at  him 

*  In  the  third  year  after  the  birth  of  Moses,  Pharaoh  was  sit- 
ting on  his  throne,  the  queen  was  at  his  right  hand,  his  daughter, 
holding  Moses,  at  his  left,  and  the  princes  of  Egypt  were  seated 
round  a  table  before  him.  Moses  stretched  out  his  hand,  took 
the  king's  crown,  and  placed  it  on  his  own^head.  The  courtiers 
were  terrified ;  and  Bileam  the  magician  said,  "  Remember,  O 
king  !  thy  dreams,  and  their  interpretations  :  this  child  is  doubt- 
less of  the  Hebrews,  who  worship  God  in  their  hearts  ;  and  he  has, 
by  a  movement  of  his  precocious  wisdom,  laid  hold  on  the  govern- 
ment of  Egypt.  (Here  follow  examples  from  Abraham  to  Joseph, 
showing  the  ambition  of  the  Hebrews  to  usurp  the  Egyptian 
throne.)  If  it  please  the  king,  let  us  shed  this  child's  blood  be- 
fore he  be  strong  enough  to  destroy  thy  kingdom."  But  the  Lord 
sent  an  angel  in  the  form  of  an  Egyptian  prmce,  who  said,  "  If  it 
please  the  king,  let  two  bowls,  the  one  filled  with  Shoham  stones, 
the  other  with  burning  coals,  be  presented  to  the  child,"  &c. — 
Midrash,  p   52. 


THE    TRIAL.  127 

for  permitting  the  naughtiness  of  a  child  to  ex- 
cite in  him  such  gloomy  thoughts. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Pharaoh, "  let  us  see  wheth- 
er the  child  has  acted  thoughtlessly  or  with  re- 
flection? Let  a  bowl  with  burning  coals  and 
one  with  coin  be  brought.  If  he  seize  the  former, 
he  shall  live ;  but  if  he  stretch  out  his  hand  to 
the  latter,  he  has  betrayed  himself" 

Asia  was  forced  to  obey,  and  her  eyes  hung 
in  painful  suspense  on  Moses's  hand,  as  if  her 
own  life  had  been  at  gtake.  Endowed  with 
manly  understanding,  Moses  was  on  the  point 
of  taking  a  handful  of  the  shining  coin,  when  Al- 
lah, watching  over  his  life,  sent  an  angel,  who, 
against  the  child's  will,  directed  his  hand  into 
the  burning  coals,  and  even  put  one  to  his  mouth. 
Pharaoh  was  again  reassured,  and  entreated 
Asia  for  forgiveness  ;  but  Moses  had  burned  his 
tongue,  and  was  a  stammerer  from  that  day.* 

When  Moses  was  six  years  old,  Pharaoh  one 
day  teased  him  so  much,  that  in  his  anger  he 
pushed  with  his  foot  so  violently  against  the 
throne  on  which  Pharaoh  sat,  that  it  was  over- 
thrown. Pharaoh  fell  on  the  earth,  and  bled 
profusely  from  his  mouth  and  nose.     He  sprang 

*  The  Jewish  legend  accounts  from  this  occurrence  for  the 

words  of  Moses  in  Exodus,  chap,  iv.,  ver.  10 :  "  O  my  Lord  !  I 

am  not  eloquent,  neither  heretofore,  nor  since  thou  hast  spoken 

to  thy  servant ;  but  I  am  slow  of  speech,  and  of  a  slow  tongue." 

-E.  T 


128  THE    YOUTH    OF    MOSES. 

to  his  feet,  and  drew  his  sword  against  Moses 
to  thrust  him  through.  Asia  and  the  seven  prin- 
cesses were  present,  yet  all  their  endeavors  to 
calm  him  were  in  vain.  Then  there  flew  a 
white  cock  toward  the  king,  and  cried,  "  Pha- 
raoh, if  thou  spill  the  blood  of  this  child,  thy 
daughters  shall  be  more  leprous  than  before." 
Pharaoh  cast  a  glance  on  the  princesses  ;  and 
as  from  dread  and  fright  their  faces  were  already 
suffused  with  a  ghastly  yellow,  he  desisted  again 
from  his  bloody  design, 

Thus  Moses  grew  up  in  Pharaoh's  house,  amid 
every  variety  of  danger,  which  God,  however, 
warded  off  in  a  miraculous  manner.  One  morn- 
ing— he  was  then  already  in  his  eighteenth  year 
— he  was  performing  his  ablutions  in  the  Nile, 
and  prayed  to  Allah.  An  Egyptian  priest  saw 
him,  and  observed  that  he  prayed  unlike  the 
other  Egyptians,  who  always  turn  their  faces 
toward  Pharaoh's  palace,  while  the  eyes  of  Mo- 
ses were  directed  on  high. 

"Whom  worshipestthou?"  inquired  the  priest, 
in  great  astonishment. 

Moses,  having  finished  his  prayer,  replied, 
«  My  Lord !" 

"  Thy  father  Pharaoh  ?" 

"May  Allah  curse  thee,  and  all  those  who 
worship  the  king  as  God  !" 


THE    PERFIDIOUS    BIGOT.  129 

"  Thou  shalt  atone  with  thy  Hfe  for  this  impre- 
cation. I  will  forthwith  go  to  thy  father,  and 
accuse  thee  before  him." 

Then  Moses  prayed,  "  Lord  of  the  waters ! 
who  hast  destroyed  by  the  floods  the  whole  hu- 
man race,  save  Noah  and  Audj,  let  them  even 
now  overflow  their  banks,  to  ingulf  this  blas- 
phemous priest.*' 

He  had  scarcely  pronounced  these  words, 
when  there  arose  such  waves  in  the  Nile  as  only 
the  fiercest  tempest  excites  in  the  mighty  ocean. 
One  of  them  rolled  over  the  shore,  and  swept 
away  the  priest  into  the  stream. 

When  he  saw  his  life  in  danger,  he  cried  out, 
"  Mercy  !  O  Moses,  have  mercy  !  I  swear  that 
I  will  conceal  what  I  have  heard  from  thee." 

"  But  if  thou  break  thine  oath  V 

"  Let  my  tongue  be  cut  out  of  my  mouth." 

Moses  saved  the  priest,  and  w^ent  his  way ; 
but  when  he  came  to  the  royal  palace  he  was 
summoned  before  Pharaoh,  beside  whom  sat  the 
priest,  who  had  evidently  betrayed  him. 

"  Whom  worshipest  thou?"  inquired  Pharaoh. 

"  My  Lord,"  replied  Moses,  "  who  gives  me 
meat  and  drink,  who  clothes  me,  and  supplies  all 
my  wants."  Moses  thereby  intended  the  only 
God,  the  Creator  and  Preserver  of  the  world, 
unto  whom  we  are  indebted  for  all  things. 

But  Pharaoh,  according  to  the  will  of  Allah, 
9 


130  MANSLAUGHTER. 

referred  this  reply  to  himself,  and  commanded 
that  the  priest,  as  a  calumniator,  should  have  his 
tongue  cut  out,  and  be  hanged  before  the  palace. 
Having  attained  the  age  of  manhood,  Moses 
frequently  conversed  with  the  Israelites  during 
his  excursions,  and  listened  eagerly  to  their  ac- 
counts of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  but  espe- 
cially of  Joseph,  for  his  mother  had  long  ere  this 
revealed  to  him  the  secret  of  his  birth.  One  day 
he  beheld  how  a  Kopt  was  most  cruelly  treating 
an  Israelite,  by  name  Samiri.  The  latter  im- 
plored his  protection,  and  Moses  struck  the 
Egyptian  a  blow  which  stretched  him  lifeless  on 
the  earth.  On  the  following  morning  Samiri 
was  again  striving  with  an  Egyptian,  and  prayed 
Moses  again  to  help  him ;  but  the  latter  reproach- 
ed him  for  his  quarrelsome  disposition,  and  raised 
his  hand  threateningly  against  him.  When  Sa- 
miri saw  this,  he  said,  "  Wilt  thou  kill  me  as  thou 
didst  the  Kopt  yesterday  ?"  The  Egyptian  who 
was  present  heard  it,  and  accused  Moses  of  mur- 
der before  Pharaoh.  The  king  directed  that  he 
should  be  delivered  to  the  relations  of  the  slain; 
but  one  of  the  royal  household,  a  friend  of  Moses, 
informed  him  immediately  of  Pharaoh's  sentence, 
and  he  succeeded  in  making  his  escape  in  time. 

Moses  wandered  many  days  through  the  wil- 
derness, until  Allah  sent  him  an  angel  in  the  form 


THE    FLIGHT.  131 

of  a  Bedouin,  who  guided  him  into  Midian,  where 
the  faithful  priest  Shuib  (Jethro)  dwelt,  in  the 
midst  of  idolaters.  The  sun  was  declining  when 
he  arrived  before  a  well  at  the  outskirts  of  the 
little  town,  and  there  stood  Lija  and  Safurja,  the 
two  daughters  of  Shuib,  with  their  flocks.* 

"  Why  do  you  not  water  your  cattle,"  in- 
quired Moses,  "  since  the  night  will  soon  over- 
take you?" 

"  We  do  not  venture  to  do  so,"  replied  Lija, 
"  until  the  other  shepherds,  w^ho  hate  us  and  our 
father,  have  first  watered  theirs." 

*  According  to  the  Jewish  legend,  there  intervened  many  years 
between  the  flight  of  Moses  from  Egypt  and  his  arrival  in  Midian : 
these  years,  they  say,  he  spent  in  Ethiopia,  where  Bilaam  had 
gone  before  him;  and  while  the  king  of  that  country  made  war 
against  Syria  and  other  nations,  he  (Bilaam)  treacherously  seized 
on  the  capital,  fortifying  it  with  ditches  and  walls  on  three  sides, 
and  guarding  the  fourth  by  venomous  serpents.  The  king  return- 
ed, and  had  laid  siege  to  this  city  during  nine  years  without  suc- 
ceeding in  capturing  it,  when  Moses  arrived  in  his  camp.  He  ad- 
vised him  to  take  all  the  storks'  eggs  from  the  neighboring  forests, 
to  rear  the  young,  and  having  withheld  their  food  from  them  for 
some  days,  to  send  them  against  the  serpents.  The  king  did  so ; 
the  storks  destroyed  the  serpents,  and  the  city  was  taken ;  but 
Bilaam  escaped  through  an  opposite  gate,  and  again  excited  Pha- 
raoh against  the  people  of  Israel.  The  Ethiopians  made  Moses 
their  first  vizier,  and  afterward  their  king,  giving  to  him  the  de- 
ceased king's  widow  in  marriage.  But  as  she  was  an  idolater,  he 
refused  to  treat  her  as  his  wife,  nor  did  he  participate  in  the  re 
ligious  observances  of  the  people  :  the  queen  therefore  accused 
him  publicly,  and  proposed  her  own  son  to  reign  in  his  stead  ;  but 
Moses  fled  to  Midian  ;  and  Jethro,  fearing  the  Ethiopians,  im- 
prisoned him  during  ten  years  without  giving  him  any  food  ;  but 
Zipora  secretly  supplied  him  with  bread  and  water,  &c, 


182  rniVALRY. 

Then  Moses  himself  led  their  cattle  to  the  well, 
and  said,  "  If  any  of  the  shepherds  has  aught 
against  you,  I  myself  will  see  to  the  matter." 
The  maidens  yielded  ;  nor  did  any  of  the  shep- 
herds, who  assembled  around,  dare  to  oppose 
Moses,  for  his  holy  appearance  filled  them  with 
awe. 

When  Shuib,  astonished  at  the  unusually  early 
return  of  his  daughters,  heard  from  them  that  a 
stranger  had  watered  their  cattle,  he  sent  Safur- 
ja  to  the  w^ell  to  invite  him  to  his  house.  But 
Moses,  although  suffering  with  hunger,  did  not 
touch  the  refreshments  that  were  set  before  him  , 
and  when  Shuib  inquired  why  he  rejected  his 
hospitality,  he  replied,  "  I  am  not  of  those  who 
accept  a  reward  for  any  good  deed  that  they 
have  done." 

"  In  like  manner,  I,"  replied  Shuib,  "  am  not 
of  those  who  show  hospitality  only  to  their  bene- 
factors. My  house  is  open  to  every  stranger ; 
and  as  such,  not  as  the  protector  of  my  daugh- 
ters, thou  mayest  accept  my  invitation." 

Moses  then  ate  till  he  was  satisfied,  and  re- 
lated during  his  repast  what  had  befallen  him  in 
Egypt. 

"  As  thou  mayest  not  return  to  thy  home," 
said  Shuib,  when  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion 
of  his  narrative,  "  remain  with  me  as  my  shep- 
herd, and,  after  serving  me  eight  or  ten  years 


'I  lit:  KOI).  13y 

faithfully,  1  will  give  thee  my  daughter  Safurja 
to  wife." 

Moses  accepted  this  offer,  and  pledged  him- 
self to  eight  years'  service,  but  added  that  he 
should  cheerfully  remain  two  years  longer,  if  he 
had  nothing  to  complain  of;  and  he  abode  ten 
years  with  him.  On  the  morning  following  his 
arrival,  he  accompanied  the  daughters  of  Shuib 
to  the  pasture  ;  but  as  he  had  fled  from  Egypt 
without  a  staff,  Safurja  brought  to  him  the  mirac- 
ulous rod  of  her  father,  which  had  served  for  the 
support  and  defense  of  the  prophets  before  him.* 
Adam  had  brought  it  with  him  from  Paradise : 
after  his  death  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Sheth  ; 
after  that  it  went  to  Idris,  then  to  Noah,  Salih, 
and  Abraham.  Moses  was  thirty  years  old 
when  he  entered  the  service  of  Shuib,  and  thir- 
ty-eight on  his  marriage  with  Safurja.     In  his. 

*  The  rod  of  Moses  was  created  on  the  sixth  day,  and  given  to 
Adam  while  yet  in  Paradise  :  he  left  it  to  Enoch,  and  he  gave  it 
to  Shem  ;  from  him  it  descended  to  Isaac  and  Jacob.  The  latter 
took  it  with  him  into  Egypt,  and  before  his  death  presented  it  to 
Joseph.  When  he  died  it  was  taken,  with  the  rest  of  his  goods, 
to  Pharaoh's  house,  where  Jethro,  being  one  of  the  king's  magi- 
cians, saw  it ;  and  taking  it  with  him  to  Midian,  he  planted  it  in 
his  garden,  where  no  one  w^as  able  to  approach  it  until  the  arrival 
of  Moses.  He  read  the  mysterious  words  written  upon  the  staff, 
and  took  it  without  difficulty  from  the  ground.  Jethro,  who  saw 
this,  exclaimed,  "  This  is  the  man  who  shall  deliver  Israel !"  and 
gave  him  his  daughter  Zipora.  With  this  staff  Moses  kept  Je- 
thro's  flock  during  forty  years,  without  being  attacked  by  wild, 
beasts  and  without  losing  any  from  his  fold.— 3/idrtts/i,  p.  53. 

M 


134  THE    xMIo»10.\. 

fortieth  year  he  determined  to  return  to  Egypt, 
in  order  to  inquire  after  his  relatives  and  breth- 
ren in  the  faith.  It  was  a  cold  and  stormy  day 
when  he  drew  near  to  Mount  Thur,  on  which  a 
bright  fire  was  blazing  ;  and  he  said  to  his  wife, 
"Rest  here  in  the  valley;  I  will  see  what  this 
flame  signifies,  and  bring  thee  a  few  brands  on 
my  return."  But  when  Moses  came  near  the 
fire,  he  heard  a  voice  out  of  the  midst  of  the 
burning  and  yet  unconsumed  bush  exclaim, 
"  Take  off  thy  shoes,  for  thou  art  in  the  presence 
of  thy  Lord,  who  manifests  himself  to  thee  as 
The  Light,  to  sanctify  thee  as  his  prophet,  and 
to  send  thee  to  Pharaoh,  whose  unbelief  and 
cruelty  are  so  great,  that  long  ere  this  the 
mountains  would  have  crushed  him,  the  seas 
have  swallowed  him  up,  or  the  flames  of  heaven 
consumed  his  soul,  if  I  had  not  determined  to 
give  in  his  person  a  proof  of  my  omnipotence 
unto  the  whole  W'orld." 

Moses  fell  down  and  said,  "  Lord,  I  have  slain 
an  Egyptian,  and  Pharaoh  will  put  me  to  death 
if  I  appear  before  him  ;  besides,  my  tongue  has 
been  paralyzed  since  my  infancy,  so  that  I  am 
not  able  to  speak  before  kings." 

"  Fear  not,  son  of  A  mram  !"  replied  the  voice 
from  the  fire.  "  If  thy  Lord  had  not  watched 
over  thee,  thou  wouldst  have  been  changed  into 
dust  even  before  thy  birth ;  but  as  regards  thy 


THE    SIGN.  135 

imperfect  speech,  it  shall  not  prevent  the  exer- 
cise of  thy  calling,  for  I  give  to  thee  thy  brother 
Aaron  as  vizier,  who  shall  communicate  my  will 
to  Pharaoh. 

*'  Go  fearlessly  to  Pharaoh  ;  the  staff  which  is 
in  thy  hand  shall  protect  thee  from  violence. 
Thou  canst  persuade  thyself  of  it  if  thou  wilt  but 
lay  it  down  on  the  earth." 

Moses  threw  away  his  staff,  and  behold  !  it 
was  changed  into  a  large  living  serpent.  He 
would  have  fled  from  it,  but  the  angel  Gabriel 
held  him  back,  and  said,  "  Lay  hold  of  it ;  it  can 
do  thee  no  harm."  Moses  stretched  out  his  hand 
toward  it,  and  it  once  more  was  changed  into  a 
staff.  Strengthened  by  this  miracle,  he  was 
about  to  return  to  Safurja  to  pursue  with  her  his 
way  to  Egypt ;  but  the  angel  Gabriel  said  to 
him,  "  Thou  hast  now  higher  duties  than  those 
of  a  husband.  By  command  of  Allah,  I  have 
already  taken  back  thy  wife  to  her  father,  but 
thou  shalt  fulfill  thy  mission  alone." 

On  the  night  that  Moses  was  treading  Egyp- 
tian ground,  there  appeared  unto  Aaron,  who  had 
succeeded  his  father  Amram  as  vizier  to  Phara- 
oh, an  angel  with  a  crystal  cup  filled  with  the 
rarest  old  wine  ;  and  said,  as  he  handed  him  the 
cup,  "  Drink,  Aaron,  of  the  wine  which  the  Lord 
has  sent  thee  in  token  of  glad  tidings.     Thy 


136  AARON. 

brother  Moses  has  returned  to  Egypt :  God  has 
chosen  him  to  be  his  prophet,  and  thee  to  be  his 
vizier.     Arise,  and  go  to  meet  him." 

Aaron  instantly  left  Pharaoh's  chamber,  in 
which  he,  as  once  his  father  before  him,  was 
obhged  to  watch,  and  went  beyond  the  city  to- 
ward the  Nile.  But  when  he  reached  the  bank 
of  the  stream,  there  was  not  a  single  boat  at 
hand  to  ferry  him  over.  Suddenly  he  beheld  a 
light  at  a  distance ;  and  on  its  nearer  approach 
he  discovered  a  horseman,  who  flew  toward  him 
with  the  speed  of  the  wind.  It  was  Gabriel 
mounted  on  the  steed  Hizam,  which  shone  like 
the  purest  diamond,  and  whose  neigh ings  were 
celestial  songs  of  praise.  Aaron's  first  thought 
was  that  he  was  pursued  by  one  of  Pharaoh's 
men,  and  he  was  on  the  brink  of  easting  himself 
into  the  Nile  ;  but  Gabriel  made  himself  known 
in  time  to  prevent  him,  and  lifted  him  on  his 
winged  horse,  which  carried  them  both  to  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  Nile.  Here  Moses  was 
standing ;  and  as  soon  as  he  beheld  his  brother, 
he  cried  aloud,  "  Truth- has  come,  and  falsehood 
has  fled  !"  Gabriel  then  placed  Moses  also  be- 
side him,  and  set  him  down  before  the  house  of 
his  mother ;  but  Aaron  he  carried  back  into  the 
royal  palace,  and  when  Pharaoh  awoke,  his 
vizier  was  again  at  his  post.  Moses  spent  the 
remainder  of  that  night  and  the  whole  of  the 


THE    MGHT    VISIT.  137 

next  day  with  his  mother,  to  whom  he  was 
obliged  to  rehite  all  that  had  befallen  him  in  a 
foreign  land  since  the  day  of  his  flight  from 
Egypt.  The  second  night  he  spent  with  Aaron 
in  Pharaoh's  chamber.  All  the  doors  of  the  pal- 
ace, however  fast  they  were  closed,  opened  of 
their  own  accord  as  soon  as  he  touched  them 
with  his  rod,  and  the  guards  standing  before 
them  became  as  if  petrified.  But  when  they  re- 
ported in  the  morning  what  they  had  seen,  and 
the  porter  who  came  in  with  his  keys  to  open 
the  doors  of  the  palace  found  them  wide  open, 
while  neither  door  nor  lock  exhibited  any  mark 
of  violence,  and  nothing  of  the  costly  things 
scattered  through  the  various  saloons  were  miss- 
ing, Haman  said  to  Pharaoh,  "  Aaron,  who  has 
watched  by  thee,  must  explain  this  matter  ;  for, 
as  thy  chamber  has  likewise  been  opened,  the  in- 
truder can  have  had  no  other  object  than  to  con- 
verse with  him."* 

*  Rabbi  Meier  says,  "  Pharaoh's  palace  had  400  gates,  100  on 
each  side  ;  and  before  each  gate  stood  60,000  tried  warriors."  It 
was  therefore  necessary  for  Gabriel  to  introduce  Moses  and  Aaron 
by  another  way.  On  seeing  them,  Pharaoh  said,  "  Who  has  ad- 
mitted them  ?"  He  summoned  the  guards,  and  commanded  some 
of  them  to  be  beaten,  and  others  to  be  slain.  But  as  Moses  and 
Aaron  returned  the  next  day  again,  the  guards,  when  called  in, 
said,  "  These  men  are  sorcerers,  for  they  certainly  have  not  come 
in  through  the  gates."  On  the  same  page  it  is  said,  "  Before  the 
gate  of  the  royal  palace  were  two  lionesses,  which  did  not  suffer 
any  one  to  pass  through  without  the  express  command  of  Pharadi, 
and  they  would  have  rushed  upon  Moses  ;  but  he-raised  his  staff, 

M2 


138  THE  "denouement."    • 

Pharaoh  immediately  summoned  Aaron  be- 
fore him,  and  threatening  him  with  the  rack,  de- 
manded who  his  nightly  visitor  had  been.  Aaron, 
in  the  conviction  that  Allah  w^ould  not  leave  his 
prophet  in  the  power  of  an  infidel  king,  avowed 
that  it  was  his  brother  Moses  who  had  been 
with  him.  Pharaoh  immediately  sent  Haman 
with  a  detachment  of  the  royal  body-guard  into 
Moses's  dwelling,  in  order  to  bring  him  to  judg- 
ment in  the  presence  of  all  the  viziers  and  high 
officers  of  state,  who  were  forthwith  ordered  to 
assemble  in  the  grand  hall.  He  himself  presided 
on  his  throne,  which  was  entirely  of  gold,  and 
adorned  with  the  most  costly  pearls  and  dia- 
monds. When  Moses  stepped  into  the  judg- 
ment hall,  Pharaoh  swooned  away,  for  he  recog- 
nized in  him  the  child  that  had  been  saved  by 
his  daughters,  and  now  feared  him  the  more,  in- 
asmuch as  he  knew  that  he  was  Aaron's  brother, 
and  consequently  an  Israelite.  But  he  soon  re- 
covered, on  their  sprinkling  him  with  rose-wa- 
ter, and  with  his  consciousness  also  returned  his 
former  stubbornness  of  heart.     Pretending  never 

their  chains  fell  off,  and  they  followed  him  joyfully  into  the  pal 
ace,  as  a  dog  follows  his  master  after  a  long  separation,"  &c 
And  again,  "  The  400  gates  of  the  palace  were  guarded  by  bears 
lions,  and  other  ferocious  beasts,  who  suffered  no  one  to  pass  un 
less  they  fed  them  with  flesh.  But  when  Moses  and  Aaron  came 
they  gathered  about  them,  and  licked  the  feet  of  the  prophets,  aC' 
companying  them  to  Pharaoh." — Midrash,  p.  44,  45. 


THE    ROBE    OF    HONOR.  139 

to  have  seen  him  before,  he  inquired, "  Who  art 
thou?" 

"I  am  the  servant  of  Allah,  and  his  messenger." 

"  Art  thou  not  Pharaoh's  slave  ?" 

"  I  acknowledge  no  other  lord  than  the  only 
Allah." 

"  To  whom  art  thou  sent  ?" 

"  To  thee,  in  order  to  admonish  thee  to  faith 
in  Allah  and  in  me  his  messenger,  and  to  lead 
forth  the  Israelites  out  of  thy  country." 

"  Who  is  the  Allah  in  whose  name  thou  speak- 
est  to  me  ?" 

"  The  only  One,  the  Invisible,  who  hath  creat- 
ed heaven  and  earth,  and  all  that  in  them  is." 

Pharaoh  then  turned  to  Aaron,  and  inquired 
of  him,  "  What  thinkest  thou  of  the  words  of 
this  foolhardy  man?" 

"I  believe  in  the  only  God,  whom  he  pro- 
claims, and  in  him  as  his  messenger." 

On  hearing  this,  Pharaoh  said  to  Haman, 
"  This  man  has  ceased  to  be  my  vizier :  take  off 
forthwith  his  robe  of  honor  !" 

Haman  then  took  his  purple  robe  from  him, 
and  he  stood  ashamed,  for  the  upper  part  of  his 
body  was  uncovered.  Moses  cast  over  him  his 
woolen  garment ;  but,  as  he  was  not  accustom- 
ed to  such  coarse  raiment,  he  trembled  in  all  his 
limbs.  At  that  moment  the  ceiling  of  the  hall 
was  opened,  and  Gabriel  flung  a  robe  round 


140  THE    MEtitJENGEK    UF    ALLAH. 

Aaron  glittering  with  so  many  diamonds  that 
all  who  were  present  were  dazzled,  as  if  the 
lightning  had  flashed  through  the  darkest  night. 
Pharaoh  admired  this  robe,  which  had  not  a 
single  seam,  and  inquired  of  his  treasurer  what 
might  be  its  value. 

"  Such  a  garment,"  replied  the  troubled  treas- 
urer, "  is  priceless,  for  the  meanest  of  the  jewels 
is  worth  ten  whole  years'  revenue  of  Egypt. 
Such  diamonds  I  have  never  beheld  in  any  ba- 
zar, nor  are  the  like  to  be  found  among  all  the 
treasures  that  have  been  amassed  in  this  palace 
from  the  earliest  times.  None  but  sorcerers  can 
obtain  possession  of  such  jewels  by  Satanic  arts." 

"  Ye  are  then  sorcerers !"  said  Pharaoh  to 
Moses  and  Aaron.  "Be  it  so.  I  esteem  sor- 
cerers highly,  and  will  make  you  the  heads  of 
this  fraternity,  if  ye  will  swear  not  to  use  your 
art  to  my  prejudice." 

"  The  Lord  of  the  distant  east  and  west,"  re- 
joined Moses,  "  has  sent  me  as  a  prophet  unto 
thee,  in  order  to  convert  thee.  We  are  no  sor- 
cerers." 

"  And  wherewithal  wilt  thou  prove  thy  mis- 
sion ?" 

Moses  flung  his  staff"  on  the  ground,  and  in- 
stantly it  was  changed  into  a  serpent  as  huge  as 
the  largest  camel.  He  glanced  at  Pharaoh 
with   fire-darting   eyes,   and   raised   Pharaoh's 


HARDNESS    OF    HEART.  141 

throne  aloft  to  the  ceiling,  and  opening  his  jaws, 
cried,  "If  it  pleased  Allah,  I  could  not  only- 
swallow  up  thy  throne,  with  thee  and  all  that 
are  here  present,  but  even  thy  palace  and  all 
that  it  contains,  without  any  one  perceiving  the 
slightest  change  in  me." 

Pharaoh  leaped  from  his  throne,  and  adjured 
Moses,  by  Asia  his  wife,  to  whom  he  was  in- 
debted for  life  and  education,  to  protect  him 
against  this  monster.  At  the  mention  of  Asia's 
name,  Moses  felt  compassion  toward  Pharaoh, 
and  called  the  serpent  to  him.  The  serpent 
placed  the  throne  in  its  proper  position,  and 
stepped  like  a  tender  lamb  before  Moses.  He 
put  his  hand  into  his  jaws,  and  seized  him  by 
his  tongue,  whereupon  he  once  more  became  a 
staff.  But  scarcely  was  this  peril  warded  off 
from  Pharaoh,  when  his  heart  again  opened  to 
the  whispers  of  Satan,  and  instead  of  lending 
his  ear  to  Moses,  he  demanded  of  the  viziers  to 
counsel  him  what  he  should  do. 

"  Let  the  heads  of  these  two  rebels  be  cut  off," 
said  Haman,  "  and  fear  nothing  from  them  ;  for 
all  that  they  represent  as  divine  wonders  is 
nothing  but  idle  delusion." 

"  Do  not  follow  this  counsel,  mighty  king !" 
cried  Hiskil,  the  treasurer :  "  think  of  the  con- 
temporaries of  Noah,  and  the  nations  of  Aad 
and  Thamud.     They  also  believed  Noah,  Hud, 


142  SEVENTY    THOUSAND    SORCERERS. 

and  Salih,  the  prophets  whom  Allah  had  sent, 
to  be  demons  and  deceivers,  until  the  wrath  of 
Allah  fell  on  them,  destroying  them  and  their 
possessions  by  fire  and  water." 

But  now  uprose  Haman's  predecessor,  a  hoary 
man  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  years  of  age,  and 
said,  "  Permit  me  also,  O  king  of  kings  !  before 
I  descend  to  the  grave,  to  impart  to  thee  my 
opinion.  What  king  can  boast  of  having  so 
many  magicians  in  his  kingdom  as  thou?  I 
therefore  hold  it  to  be  the  wisest  plan  that  thou 
fix  on  a  day  in  which  they  all  may  assemble  to- 
gether, and  have  a  meeting  with  Moses  and 
Aaron.  If  these  are  nothing  but  sorcerers,  the 
Egyptian  masters  of  this  art  will  not  be  a  whit 
inferior  to  them  ;  and  then  thou  art  still  at  liber- 
ty to  do  with  them  according  to  thy  high  will. 
But  if  they  put  thy  sorcerers  to  shame,  then  are 
they  indeed  the  servants  of  a  mightier  God,  to 
whom  we  shall  be  forced  to  submit." 

Pharaoh  approved  of  the  counsel  of  his  aged 
vizier,  and  commanded  all  the  sorcerers  of 
Egypt,  seventy  thousand  in  number,  to  repair 
to  the  capital  at  the  expiration  of  a  month. 

When  they  were  assembled,  the  king  com- 
manded them  to  choose  seventy  chiefs  from 
their  body,  and  these  seventy  were  again  to  be 
represented  by  the  two  most  renowned  among 
them,  in  order  to  contend  in  magic  arts  with 


CONTEST    AND    VICTORY.  143 

Moses  and  Aaron  in  the  face  of  the  whole  peo- 
ple. Pharaoh's  command  was  punctually  obey- 
ed, and  the  choice  of  the  magicians  fell  on  Ri- 
sam  and  Rejam,  two  men  of  Upper  Egypt,  who 
were  no  less  esteemed  and  feared  throughout 
the  whole  country  than  Pharaoh  himself. 

On  an  appointed  day,  Pharaoh,  for  whom  a 
large  silken  tent,  embroidered  with  pearls  and 
supported  on  silver  pillars,  had  been  erected, 
proceeded  to  a  large  plain  beyond  the  city,  ac- 
companied by  his  viziers  and  the  nobles  of  his 
kingdom  :  Risam  and  Rejam  on  the  one  side  of 
the  tent,  and  Moses  and  Aaron  on  the  other, 
awaited  his  commands ;  and  the  whole  popula- 
tion of  Egypt  was  on  the  field  of  contest  from 
early  dawn,  anxious  to  see  which  party  would 
obtain  the  victory.  Pharaoh  demanded  of  the 
two  Egyptians  to  change  their  rods  into  ser- 
pents :  this  was  done,  and  Haman  said  to  Pha- 
raoh, "  Did  not  I  tell  thee  that  Moses  and  Aaron 
were  no  more  than  other  sorcerers,  who  deserve 
chastisement  for  having  abused  their  art?" 

"  Thou  art  too  hasty  in  thy  judgment,"  said 
Hiskil.  "  Let  us  see  first  whether  Moses  will 
not  be  able  to  do  still  greater  things  than  these." 

At  a  sign  from  the  king,  Moses  stepped  for- 
ward and  prayed  to  Allah  that  he  would  glorify 
his  name  in  the  face  of  all  Egypt.     Allah  ihen 


144  MARTYRS. 

brought  to  naught  the  charm  of  the  Egyptians, 
which  was  mere  illusion,  and  it  was  unto  all 
present  as  if  a  dark  veil  was  removed  from  their 
eyes ;  and  they  recognized  again  as  staffs  what 
had  appeared  before  as  serpents.  Moses  threw 
his  staff  upon  the  earth,  and  it  became  a  serpent 
with  seven  heads,  which  did  not  remain  motion- 
less like  those  of  the  magicians,  but  pursued  the 
two  sorcerers  with  open  jaws.  They  threw 
themselves  to  the  earth,  and  exclaimed,  "  We 
believe  in  the  Lord  of  the  World,  the  God  of 
Moses  and  Aaron." 

Pharaoh  cried  to  them  wrathfully, "  How  dare 
you  confess  yourselves  to  another  faith  without 
my  permission,  simply  because  these  sorcerers 
are  more  dexterous  than  you  ?  Unless  you  re- 
call your  words,  I  shall  cause  your  hands  and 
feet  to  be  cut  off,  and  shall  hang  you  on  the  gal- 
lows." 

"  Wilt  thou  punish  us,"  replied  the  sorcerers, 
"  because  we  can  not  deny  the  signs  of  Allah  ? 
Behold,  we  are  prepared  to  yield  up  our  lives 
in  support  of  our  faith." 

Pharaoh,  in  order  to  set  a  terrible  example, 
caused  the  threatened  punishment  to  be  executed 
on  them,  and  they  died  the  first  martyrs  to  the 
faith  of  Moses. 

The  king  now  waxed  daily  more  cruel ;  every 
believer  was  put  to  death  with  the  most  excru- 


THE    PLAGUES.  145 

elating  tortures.  He  did  not  even  spare  his 
own  daughter,  Masheta,  the  wife  of  Hiskil,  on 
learning  that  she  no  longer  honored  him  as  God. 
She  endured  with  admirable  fortitude  the  death 
by  fire,  after  seeing  all  her  children  slaughtered 
before  her  eyes  at  Pharaoh's  command. 

Asia  herself  was  now  accused  before  him  of 
apostasy,  and  even  she  was  condemned  to  death  ; 
but  the  angel  Gabriel  comforted  her  with  the 
annunciation  that  she  should  hereafter  be  united 
with  Mohammed  in  Paradise,  and  gave  her  a 
potion  by  which  she  died  without  pain. 

Pharaoh  now  conceived,  like  Nimrod  before 
him,  the  iniquitous  design  to  war  against  the 
God  of  Moses.  He  therefore  caused  a  tower  to 
be  built,  at  which  fifty  thousand  men,  mostly  Is- 
raelites, were  compelled  to  labor  day  and  night, 
he  himself  riding  up  and  down  among  them  to 
urge  on  the  indolent.  But  Moses  prayed  to  Al- 
lah, and  the  tower  fell  in,  crushing  under  its  ruins 
all  those  Egyptians  who  had  committed  violence 
against  the  Israelites.  But  even  this  judgment 
made  only  a  passing  impression  on  the  heart 
of  Pharaoh,  for  Allah  desired  to  perform  still 
greater  wonders  before  he  condemned  the  soul 
of  the  king  to  eternal  hell.  Fh'st  he  visited  him 
with  a  flood.  The  Nile  overflowed  its  banks, 
and  the  waters  rose  so  high  that  they  reached 
to  the  neck  of  the  tallest  man.  After  that,  a 
10  N 


146  THE    I'LAGLE^. 

host  of  locusts  invaded  the  land,  which  not  only 
consumed  all  provisions,  but  even  copper  and 
iron.  Then  followed  all  kinds  of  disgusting  ver- 
min, which  defiled  all  meats  and  drinks,  and  fiHed 
all  garments  and  beds,  so  that  Pharaoh,  however 
often  he  might  change  his  raiment,  had  not  a 
moment's  rest.  When  this  plague  disappeared, 
and  Pharaoh  still  resisted  the  wishes  of  Moses, 
all  the  waters  were  changed  to  blood  as  soon  as 
an  Egyptian  took  them  in  his  hand,  but  remained 
unchanged  for  the  Israelites.* 

Finally,  many  of  the  Egyptians,  especially  the 
more  eminent,  who  had  strengthened  Pharaoh 
in  his  unbelief,  were  turned  into  stone,  together 
with  all  their  goods.  Here,  one  might  see  a 
petrified  man,  sitting  in  the  bazar,  with  a  balance 
in  his  hand  ;  there,  another,  marking  something 
with  the  Kalam,  or  counting  gold  ;  and  even  the 
gate-keeper  of  the  palace  stood  there  turned  to 
stone,  holding  a  sword  in  his  right  hand.  Omar 
Ibn  Abd  Alasisf  had  in  his  possession  all  kinds 

*  "  All  the  water  kept  in  vessels  was  changed  into  blood  ;  even 
the  spittle  in  the  mouth  of  the  Egyptians  ;  for  it  is  written, '  there 
was  blood  throughout  the  land  of  Egypt.'  Rabbi  Levi  informs 
us  that  this  plague  enriched  the  Jews  ;  for  if  a  Jew  and  an  Egyp- 
tian lived  together  in  the  same  house,  and  the  Egyptian  went  to 
draw  water,  it  was  changed  into  blood ;  but  if  the  Jew  went,  it 
remained  pure.  Drinking  out  of  the  same  vessel,  the  Jew  ob- 
tained water,  and  the  other  blood ;  but  if  the  latter  bought  it  of  a 
Jew,  it  remained  pure." — Midrash,  p.  56. 

t  This  Omar  was  the  eighth  caliph  of  the  house  of  Omarides. 


THE    PLAGUEc?.  147 

of  petrified  fruits  of  those  times,  and  frequently 
showed  them  to  his  guests  as  a  warning  against 
unbehef.  At  Moses's  prayer,  Allah  revived  tiie 
petrified  men  ;  but  when  Pharaoh  refused  afresh 
to  permit  the  Israelites  to  depart,  there  burst  out 
upon  the  land  so  thick  a  darkness,  that  whoever 
happened  to  be  standing  could  not  sit  down,  and 
whoever  happened  to  be  sitting  had  no  power  to 
rise.  Thereupon  the  Nile  was  dried  up,  so  that 
man  and  beast  died  of  thirst.  On  this  occasion, 
Pharaoh  himself  ran  to  Moses,  and  adjured  him 
to  pray  for  him  once  more,  that  the  water  might 
flow  back  into  the  Nile.  For  the  last  time  Mo- 
ses prayed  for  him,  and  the  Nile  was  not  only 
filled  to  its  banks,  but  there  also  streamed  from 
it  a  little  brook,  which  followed  Pharaoh  whither- 
soever he  went,  so  that  at  any  moment  he  was 
able  to  supply  with  water  both  man  and  beast. 
But  instead  of  turning  to  Allah,  the  king  made 
use  of  this  special  favor  also  as  a  means  of  in- 
ducing the  people  to  reverence  him  still  as 
God. 

The  long-suffering  of  the  Lord  was  now  ex- 
hausted, and  the  king  was  himself  to  pronounce 
his  sentence,  and  to  choose  the  manner  of  death 
which  his  wickedness  had  deserved.  Gabriel 
assumed  the  appearance  of  a  noble  Egyptian, 

He  ascended  the  throne  in  the  99th  year  of  the  Hegira,  and  was 
previously  governor  of  Egypt. 


148  THE    SENTENCE. 

and  accused  before  Pharaoh  one  of  his  slaves, 
who,  in  his  absence,  had  proclaimed  himself  the 
lord  of  the  house,  and  constrained  the  other  do- 
mestics to  serve  him.  "  This  impostor,"  said 
Pharaoh,  "  deserves  to  die." 

"  How  shall  I  put  him  to  death  ?" 

"  Let  him  be  thrown  into  the  water." 

"  Give  me  a  written  warrant." 

Pharaoh  commanded  an  instrument  to  be 
drawn  up,  according  to  which  any  slave  who 
usurped  the  honors  of  his  master  was  to  be 
drowned. 

Gabriel  left  Pharaoh,  and  gave  Moses  the 
command  to  quit  Egypt  with  his  people.  Pha- 
raoh pursued  them  with  his  host,  and  enclosed 
them  on  all  sides,  so  that  there  remained  no  other 
way  of  escape  to  Israel  than  toward  the  Red 
Sea.  Hemmed  in  between  the  Egyptians  and 
the  sea,  they  fell  with  reproaches  upon  Moses, 
who  had  brought  them  into  this  dangerous  po- 
sition ;  but  he  raised  his  staff  toward  the  waters, 
and  instantly  there  were  twelve  paths  opened 
through  the  sea  for  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel, 
each  of  which  was  separated  from  the  rest  by  a 
lofty,  yet  quite  transparent  wall. 

When  Pharaoh  reached  the  sea-shore,  and 
beheld  the  dry  paths  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  he 
said  to  Haman,  "  Now  Israel  is  lost  to  us,  for 
even  the  waters  seem  to  favor  their  flight." 


THE    DEATH-WARRANT.  149 

But  Haman  replied,  "  Are  not  those  paths 
opened  likewise  for  us  ?  We  shall  soon  over- 
take them  with  our  horse." 

Pharaoh  took  the  path  in  which  Moses  march- 
ed with  the  tribe  of  Levi ;  but  his  steed  grew 
restiff,  and  was  unwilling  to  go  forward.  Then 
mounted  Gabriel,  in  human  form,  on  the  horse 
Ramka,  and  rode  in  before  Pharaoh.  This 
horse  was  so  beautiful,  that  as  soon  as  the  king's 
steed  saw  him,  he  plunged  in  behind. 

But  when  Pharaoh  and  his  whole  host  were 
in  the  sea,  the  angel  Gabriel  turned  to  the  king, 
and  showed  him  the  warrant  of  the  previous 
day,  bearing  the  royal  seal,  and  said,  "Frail 
mortal,  who  didst  desire  to  be  worshiped  as 
God  !  behold,  thou  hast  condemned  thyself  to 
die  by  water."  At  these  words,  the  twelve 
walls  tumbled  in,  the  floods  burst  forth,  and 
Pharaoh  and  all  that  followed  him  perished  in 
the  waters.  But  in  order  to  convince  both  the 
Egyptians  who  had  remained  behind,  as  well 
as  the  Israelites,  of  Pharaoh's  death,  Allah  com- 
manded the  waves  to  cast  his  body,  first  on  the 
western  and  then  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the 
Red  Sea. 

But  now  Moses  had  no  less  to  contend  ngainst 

the  Israelites  than   formerly  against   Pharaoh ; 

for  they  seemed  unable  to  tear  themselves  from 

the    service    of  idols,  notwithstanding    all    the 

'N  2 


150  THE    GOLDEN    CALF. 

wonders  of  the  only  Lord,  which  he  had  per- 
formed. 

Yet  as  long  as  he  tarried  with  them  they  pre- 
sumed not  to  demand  an  idol  ;  but  when  Allah 
called  him  to  himself  on  Mount  Sinai,  they 
threatened  Aaron,  whom  he  had  left  behind  as 
his  representative,  with  death,  if  he  would  not 
give  them  an  idol. 

Samiri  now  admonished  them  to  bring  all 
their  gold,  including  even  the  ornaments  of  their 
women,  and  cast  it  into  a  copper  caldron,  under 
which  a  strong  fire  was  lighted.  As  soon  as 
the  gold  was  melted,  he  flung  into  it  a  handful 
of  sand,  which  he  had  taken  up  from  under  the 
hoof  of  Gabriel's  horse,  and  lo  !  there  was  form- 
ed out  of  it  a  calf,  which  ran  up  and  down  like 
a  natural  one. 

"  Here  is  your  Lord,  and  the  Lord  of  Moses!" 
then  cried  Samiri;  "this  God  we  will  worship!"* 

While  the  Israelites,  notwithstanding  the  ad- 
monition of  Aaron,  had  abandoned  Allah,  the 
angel  Gabriel  uplifted  Moses  so  high  into  the 
heavens  that  he  heard  the  scribbling  of  the  Ka- 
1am  which  had  just  received  the  command  to 

*  According  to  tUe  Rabbinical  legends,  Samael  (Satan)  rushed 
into  the  calf,  and  groaned  so  loudly  that  the  Israelites  believed  it 
living.  The  Rabbis  also  maintained  that  it  was  not  Aaron,  but 
some  other  person  (some  say  Micah),  who  made  the  calf, — Vide 
Seigpr,  p,  167, 


THE    CnOSEX    PEOPLE.  151 

engrave  the  Decalogue  for  him  and  for  his  peo- 
ple on  the  eternal  tablets  of  Fate. 

But  the  higher  Moses  rose,  the  stronger  grew 
his  desire  to  behold  Allah  himself  in  his  glory. 

Then  commanded  Allah  all  the  ansfels  to  sur- 
round  Moses,  and  to  commence  a  song  of  praise. 
Moses  swooned  away,  for  he  was  wanting  in 
strength  both  to  behold  these  hosts  of  shining 
forms  as  well  as  to  hear  their  thrilling  voic-cs. 

But  when  he  came  to  himself  again,  he  con- 
fessed that  he  had  asked  a  sinful  thing,  and  re- 
pented. He  then  prayed  to  Allah  that  he  would 
make  his  people  the  most  excellent  of  the  earth. 
But  Allah  replied,  "The  Kalam  has  already 
marked  down  as  such  the  people  of  Mohammed, 
because  they  shall  fight  for  the  true  faith  until  it 
cover  the  whole  earth." 

"Lord,"  continued  Moses,  "reward  tenfold 
the  good  deeds  of  my  people,  and  visit  sin  but 
once ;  let  also  each  good  intention,  though  not 
carried  into  effect,  obtain  a  recompense,  but 
pass  by  each  evil  thought  unpunished." 

"  These  are  privileges,"  replied  Allah,  "  ac- 
corded to  those  only  who  believe  in  Mohammed, 
in  whose  name  even  Adam  prayed  to  me.  Ad- 
monish, therefore,  thy  people  to  faith  in  him.  for 
he  shall  rise  first  on  the  day  of  the  resurrection 
from  his  grave,  and  enter  into  Paradise  at  the 
head  of  all  the  prophets.     He  also  shall  obtahi 


152  THE    WANDERING    JEW. 

the  grace  of  revealing  to  his  people  the  com- 
mandment of  the  five  daily  prayers  and  the  fast 
of  Ramadhan."* 

When  Moses  returned  again  to  his  own  peo- 
ple, and  f  )und  them  worshiping  before  the  golden 
calf,  he  fell  upon  Aaron,  caught  him  by  the  beard, 
and  was  on  the  point  of  strangling  him,  when 
Aaron  swore  that  he  was  innocent,  and  pointed 
out  Samiri  as  the  prime  mover  of  this  idolatry. 

Moses  then  summoned  Samiri,  and  would 
have  put  him  to  death  instantly,  but  Allah  di- 
rected that  he  should  be  sent  into  banishment. 

Ever  since  that  time  he  roams  like  a  wild 
beast  throughout  the  world  ;  every  one  shuns 
him,  and  purifies  the  ground  on  which  his  feet 
have  stood,  and  he  himself,  whenever  he  ap- 
proaches men,  exclaims,  "  Touch  me  not  T 

Yet,  before  Moses  expelled  him  Irom  the  gamp 
of  the  Israelites  at  Allah's  command,  he  caused 
the  calf  to  be  broken  into  pieces,  and  having 
ground  it  to  dust,  forced  Samiri  to  defile  it.  It 
was  then  put  into  water,  and  given  the  Israelites 
to  drink. 

After  Samiri's  removal,  Moses  prayed  Allah 

*  It  is  well  known  that  the  Mussulmans  keep  a  yearly  fast, 
which  lasts  from  sunrise  to  sunset  for  a  whole  month.  And  they 
even  exceed  the  Jews  in  strictness,  for  they  not  only  take  neither 
meat  nor  drink,  but  also  abstain  from  smoking  during  the  fast. 
As  their  year  is  lunar,  the  month  of  Ramadhan  falls  at  every  sea- 
son of  the  year. 


THE    EXPIATION.  153 

to  have  mercy  on  his  people  ;  but  Allah  replied, 
"  I  can  not  pardon  them,  for  sin  yet  dwells  in 
their  inward  parts,  and  will  only  be  washed 
away  by  the  potion  which  thou  hast  given  them." 

On  returning  to  the  camp,  Moses  heard  woe- 
ful shriekings.  Many  of  the  Israelites,  with 
ghastly  faces  and  with  bodies  frightfully  swollen, 
cast  themselves  down  before  him,  and  cried, 
"  Moses,  help  us  !  the  golden  calf  is  tearing  our 
vitals  ;  we  will  repent,  and  die  cheerfully,  if  Al- 
lah will  but  pardon  our  sin."  Many  repented 
really  of  their  sins  ;  but  from  others  only  pain 
and  the  fear  of  death  had  extorted  these  ex- 
pressions of  repentance. 

Moses  commanded  them,  therefore  in  the 
name  of  Allah,  to  slay  each  other. 

Then  there  rose  a  darkness,  like  unto  that 
which  Allah  had  sent  upon  Pharaoh.  The  in- 
nocent and  reclaimed  .hewed  with  the  sword  to 
the  right  and  to  the  left,  so  that  many  slew  their 
nearest  kinsmen;  but  Allah  gave  their  swords 
power  over  the  guilty  only.  Seventy  thousand 
worshipers  of  idols  had  already  fallen,  when 
Moses,  moved  by  the  cries  of  women  and  chil- 
dren, implored  God  once  more  for  mercy. 

Instantly  the  heavens  grew  clear,  the  sword 
rested,  and  all  the  remaining  sick  were  healed. 

On  the  following  day  Moses  read  unto  them 
the  Law,  and  admonished  them  to  obey  scru- 


154  THE    LAW. MOUNT    SINAI. 

pulously  its  prescriptions.  But  many  of  the  peo- 
ple exclaimed,  "  We  shall  not  submit  to  such  a 
code."  The  laws  especially  obnoxious  to  them 
were  those  which  regulated  the  revenge  of  blood, 
and  punished  the  pettiest  theft  with  the  loss  of 
the  hand.  At  that  instant,  Mount  Sinai  became 
vaulted  over  their  heads,  excluding  the  very 
light  of  heaven  from  them,  and  there  cried  a 
voice  from  the  rocks,  "  Sons  of  Israel,  Allah  has 
redeemed  you  from  Egypt  merely  to  be  the 
bearers  of  his  laws :  if  you  refuse  this  burden, 
wc  shall  fall  in  upon  you,  and  thus  you  shall  be 
compelled  to  support  a  weightier  mass  until  the 
day  of  the  resurrection." 

With  one  voice  they  then  exclaimed,  "  We 
are  ready  to  submit  to  the  Law,  and  to  accept 
it  as  the  rule  of  our  life." 

When  Moses  had  instructed  them  fully  in  the 
Law,  and  expounded  what  was  pure  and  what 
impure,  what  lawful  and  what  unlawful,  he  gave 
the  signal  to  march  for  the  conquest  of  the  prom- 
ised land  of  Palestine. 

But,  notwithstanding  all  the  wonders  of  Al- 
lah, who  fed  them  with  manna  and  quails  in  the 
wilderness,  and  caused  twelve  fresh  fountains  to 
spring  out  of  the  rocky  ground  wherever  they 
encamped,  they  were  still  faint-hearted,  and 
w^ould  not  depart  until  they  had  obtained  better 
information  respecting  the  country  and  its  in- 
habitants through  spies. 


THE    LAND    OF    GIANTS.  155 

Moses  was  obliged  to  yield,  and  sent  a  man 
out  of  every  tribe  into  Palestine. 

The  spies,  on  their  return,  related,  "  We  have 
seen  the  land  which  we  are  to  subdue  by  the 
sword  :  it  is  good  and  fruitful. 

"  The  strongest  camel  is  scarcely  able  to  car- 
ry one  single  bunch  of  grapes  ;  a  single  ear  yields 
sufficient  corn  to  satisfy  a  whole  family,  and  the 
shell  of  a  pomegranate  can  easily  contain  five 
armed  men. 

"  But  the  inhabitants  of  that  country  and  their 
cities  are  of  a  size  proportionate  to  the  products 
of  their  soil.  We  have  seen  men  the  smallest 
of  whom  was  six  hundred  cubits  high.  They 
stared  at  our  dwarfish  appearance,  and  derided 
us.  Their  houses  naturally  correspond  with 
their  size,  and  the  walls  which  surround  their 
cities  are  so  high  that  an  eagle  rs  scarcely  able 
to  soar  to  the  summit  thereof." 

When  the  spies  had  finished  their  report,  they 
dropped  down  dead  ;  only  two  of  them,  Joshua, 
the  son  of  Nun,  and  Caleb,  who  had  kept  silence, 
remained  alive.  But  the  Israelites  murmured 
against  Moses,  and  said,  "  We  shall  never  fight 
against  such  a  gigantic  people.  If  thou  hast  a 
mind  to  do  so,  march  alone  with  thy  God  against 
them." 

Thereupon  Moses  announced  to  them,  in  the 
name  of  Allah,  that  by  reason  of  their  distrust 


156  MOSES    AND    JOSHUA. 

in  the  help  of  Him  who  had  divided  the  sea  for 
their  safety,  they  were  doomed  to  wander  forty 
years  through  the  wilderness.  He  then  took 
leave  of  them,  and  journeyed,  preaching  the  true 
faith  through  the  whole  earth  from  east  to  west, 
and  from  north  to  south. 

When  Moses  was  one  day  boasting  of  his  wis- 
dom to  his  servant  Joshua,  who  accompanied 
him,  Allah  said,  "  Go  to  the  Persian  Gulf,  where 
the  seas  of  the  Greeks  and  the  Persians  com- 
mingle, and  thou  shalt  there  find  one  of  my  pious 
servants  who  surpasses  thee  in  wisdom." 

"How  shall  I  recognize  this  wise  man?" 

"  Take  with  thee  a  fish  in  a  basket :  it  will 
show  thee  where  my  servant  lives." 

Moses  now  departed  with  Joshua  toward  the 
country  which  Allah  had  pointed  out,  and  con- 
stantly carried  with  him  a  fish  in  a  basket.  On 
one  occasion  he  laid  himself  down,  quite  exhaust- 
ed, on  the  sea-shore,  and  fell  asleep.  It  was  late 
when  he  awoke,  and  he  hurried  on  to  reach  the 
desired  inn ;  but  Joshua  had,  in  his  haste,  neg- 
lected to  take  the  fish  with  him,  and  Moses  for- 
got to  remind  him  of  it.  It  was  not  until  the 
next  morning  that  they  missed  their  fish,  and 
were  on  the  point  of  returning  to  the  spot  where 
they  had  rested  on  the  preceding  day  ;  but,  on 
reaching  the  sea-shore,  they  beheld  a  fish  gliding 


AL    CHIDHR.  157 

quite  erect  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  instead 
of  swimming  therein,  as  fish  are  wont  to  do ; 
they  soon  recognized  it  as  theirs,  and  therefore 
went  after  it  along  the  shore.  After  having,  for 
a  few  hours,  followed  their  guide,  it  suddenly 
dived  below :  they  stood  still,  and  thought, 
"  Here  the  God-fearing  man  whom  we  are  seek- 
ing must  dwell ;"  and  soon  they  descried  a  cave, 
over  whose  entrance  was  written, "  In  the  name 
of  Allah,  the  All-merciful  and  All-gracious."  On 
stepping  in,  they  found  a  man  who  appeared  in 
all  the  bloom  and  vigor  of  a  youth  of  seventeen, 
but  with  a  snow-white  beard  flowing  even  to  his 
feet.  It  was  the  prophet  Chidhr,  who,  though 
gifted  with  eternal  youth,  was  withal  endowed 
with  the  finest  ornament  of  hoary  age. 

After  mutual  salutation,  Moses  said,  "  Accept 
me  as  thy  disciple,  and  permit  me  to  accompany 
thee  in  thy  wanderings  through  the  world,  that 
I  may  admire  the  wisdom  which  Allah  has  be- 
stowed on  thee." 

"  Thou  canst  not  comprehend  it,  and  wilt 
therefore  not  remain  long  with  me." 

"  If  Allah  pleases,  thou  shalt  find  me  both  obe- 
dient and  patient.     Reject  me  not !" 

"  Thou  mayest  follow  me,  yet  must  thou  ask 
me  no  question  until  I  shall,  of  my  own  accord, 
explain  my  actions." 

When  Moses  had  submitted  to  this  condition. 


158  MVriTERlES. 

Al  Chidhr  took  him  to  the  shore  of  the  sea,  where 
a  vessel  was  lying  at  anchor.  He  took  an  axe 
and  struck  out  tw^o  planks  of  the  vessel,  so  that 
it  sank  immediately. 

"  What  dost  thou  ?"  cried  Moses  :  "  the  men 
that  are  in  it  will  now  perish." 

"  Did  I  not  say,"  replied  Al  Chidhr,  "  thou  wilt 
not  long  continue  patiently  with  me  ?" 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  Moses  ;  "  I  had  forgotten 
my  promise." 

Al  Chidhr  then  journeyed  farther  with  him, 
until  they  met  a  beautiful  boy,  who  was  playing 
with  shells  on  the  sea-shore.  Al  Chidhr  drew  his 
knife,  and  cut  the  throat  of  the  child. 

Moses  cried,  "  Why  murderest  thou  an  inno- 
cent child,  who  can  in  no  wise  have  desei-ved 
death  ?     Thou  hast  committed  a  great  crime  !" 

"  Did  I  not  tell  thee,"  replied  Al  Chidhr,  "  thou 
canst  not  travel  long  in  my  company  ?" 

"  Pardon  me  yet  this  once,"  replied  Moses ; 
"  and  if  I  inquire  again,  then  mayest  thou  reject 
me!" 

"  They  now  traveled  long  to  and  fro,  until 
they  arrived,  weary  and  hungry,  in  a  large  city. 
Yet  no  one  would  lodge  them,  nor  give  them 
meat  or  drink  without  money.  Suddenly  Al 
Chidhr  beheld  how  the  walls  of  a  beautiful  inn, 
out  of  which  they  had  just  been  driven,  threat- 
ened to  fall  in ;  he  then  stepped  before  them, 
O 


EXPLANATION.  159 

and  supported  them  until  they  stood  upright 
again  ;  and  when  he  had  strengthened  them,  he 
went  his  way. 

Then  said  Moses  to  him,  "  Thou  hast  now 
performed  a  work  which  would  have  occupied 
many  masons  during  several  days ;  why  hast 
thou  not  at  least  demanded  a  reward,  that  we 
might  have  bought  some  provisions  ?" 

"  Now  we  must  separate,"  said  Al  Chidhr ; 
"  yet,  ere  we  part,  I  will  explain  to  thee  the  mo- 
tives of  my  conduct.  The  vessel  which  I  have 
damaged,  but  which  may  be  easily  repaired,  be- 
longed to  poor  men,  and  formed  their  only 
source  of  maintenance.  At  the  time  I  struck  it, 
many  ships  of  a  certain  tyrant  were  cruising  in 
those  seas,  capturing  every  serviceable  craft. 
By  me,  therefore,  these  poor  sailors  have  saved 
their  only  property. 

"  The  child  whom  I  have  slain  is  the  son  of 
pious  parents ;  but  he  himself  (I  perceived  it  in 
his  face)  was  of  a  depraved  nature,  and  would, 
in  the  end,  have  led  his  parents  into  evil.  I  have 
therefore  preferred  to  slay  him  :  Allah  will  give 
them  pious  children  in  his  stead. 

"As  for  the  wall  of  the  inn  which  I  have 
raised  up  and  strengthened,  it  belongs  to  two 
orphans  whose  father  was  a  pious  man.  Be- 
neath the  wall  there  is  a  treasure  hid,  which  the 
present  owner  would  have  claimed  if  it  had  fall- 


160  PROVIDENCE. 

en :  I  have  therefore  repaired  it,  that  the  treas- 
ure may  be  left  secure  until  the  children  shall 
have  grow^n  up. 

"  Thou  seest,  then,"  continued  Al  Chidhr,  "  that 
in  all  this  I  have  not  followed  blind  passion,  but 
have  acted  according  to  the  will  of  my  Lord."* 

♦  This  legend  is  evidently  of  Jewish  origin.  It  is  related  re- 
specting Moses,  that  while  on  Mount  Sinai,  the  Lord  instructed 
him  in  the  mysteries  of  his  providence.  Moses  having  complained 
of  the  impunity  of  vice  and  its  success  in  this  world,  and  the  fre- 
quent sufferings  of  the  innocent,  the  Lord  took  him  to  a  rock 
which  projected  from  the  mountain,  and  where  he  could  overlook 
the  vast  plain  of  the  desert  stretching  at  his  feet. 

On  one  of  its  oases  he  beheld  a  young  Arab  asleep.  He  awoke, 
and,  leaving  behind  him  a  bag  of  pearls,  he  sprung  into  his  saddle, 
and  rapidly  disappeared  from  the  horizon.  Another  Arab  came  to 
the  oasis :  he  discovered  the  pearls,  took  them,  and  vanished  in 
the  opposite  direction. 

Now  an  aged  wanderer,  leaning  on  his  staff,  bent  his  weary 
steps  toward  the  shady  spot :  he  laid  himself  down,  and  fell  asleep. 
But  scarcely  had  he  closed  his  eyes,  when  he  was  rudely  roused 
from  his  slumber ;  the  young  Arab  had  returned,  and  demanded 
his  pearls.  The  hoary  man  replied,  he  had  not  taken  them.  The 
other  grew  enraged,  and  accused  him  of  theft.  He  swore  that  he 
had  not  seen  his  treasure  ;  but  the  other  seized  him  ;  a  scuffle  en- 
sued ;  the  young  Arab  drew  his  sword,  and  plunged  it  into  the 
breast  of  the  aged  man,  who  fell  lifeless  on  the  earth. 

"  O  Lord,  is  this  justice  ?"  exclaimed  Moses,  with  terror.  "  Be 
silent !  Behold,  this  man,  whose  blood  is  now  mingling  with  the 
wa1;ers  of  the  desert,  many  years  ago,  secretly,  on  the  same  spot, 
murdered  the  father  of  the  youth  who  has  now  slain  him.  His 
crime  remained  concealed  from  men,  but  vengeance  is  mine :  I 
will  repay  !" 

The  reader  must  be  struck  with  the  similarity  of  these  fictions 
and  the  beautiful  poem  on  the  same  subject  by  Barnell,  who,  if 
unacquainted  with  the  Arabic  legend,  may  have  read  the  one  we 
have  related  in  Schiller's  "  Sendung  Moses."— JB.  T. 


THE   NORTH.  161 

Moses  prayed  Al  Chidhr  once  more  to  pardon 
him,  but  did  not  venture  to  ask  permission  to 
remain  with  him. 

During  the  last  thirty  years  Moses  had  passed 
through  the  southern,  eastern,  and  western  parts 
of  the  earth,  and  there  were  yet  left  to  him  ten 
years  for  wandering  in  the  north,  which,  not- 
withstanding: the  ferocity  of  the  nations  of  that 
region,  and  the  rigidity  of  its  chmate,  he  visited 
in  every  direction  nntil  he  came  to  the  great  iron 
wall  which  Alexander  had  erected  to  protect  the 
inhabitants  against  the  predatory  incursions  of 
the  nations  of  Jadjudj  and  Madjudj.  After  he 
had  admired  this  wall,  which  is  cast  in  one  piece, 
he  praised  the  omnipotence  of  Allah,  and  re- 
traced his  steps  toward  the  Arabian  desert. 

Nine-and-thirty  years  had  already  elapsed 
since  he  had  separated  from  his  brethren.  Most 
of  the  Israelites  whom  he  had  left  in  their  prime 
had  mean  while  died,  and  another  generation 
had  risen  in  their  stead. 

Among  the  few  aged  men  who  yet  remained 
was  his  kinsman  Karun  (Korah),  Ibn  Jachar, 
Ibn  Fahitz.  He  had  learned  from  Moses's  sister, 
Kolthum  (Miriam),  who  was  his  wife,  the  sci- 
ence of  alchemy,  so  that  he  was  able  to  convert 
the  meanest  metal  into  gold.  He  was  so  rich 
that  he  built  lofty  walls  of  gold  round  his  gar- 
dens, and  required  forty  mules  to  carry  the  keys 
n  02 


162  KORAII. 

of  his  treasuries  when  he  traveled.*  By  means 
of  his  wealth  he  had  succeeded  in  acquiring  a 
truly  regal  influence  during  Moses's  absence. 
But  when,  at  Moses's  return,  his  importance  di- 
minished, he  resolved  on  his  destruction.  He 
therefore  visited  a  maiden  whom  Moses  had 
banished  from  the  camp  on  account  of  her  aban- 
doned courses,  and  promised  to  marry  her  if 
she  would  declare  before  the  elders  of  the  con- 
gregation that  Moses  had  expelled  her  only  be- 
cause she  had  refused  to  listen  to  his  proposals. 
She  promised  Korah  to  act  entirely  after  his 
will.  But  when  she  arrived  before  the  elders 
with  the  intention  of  calumniating  Moses,  she 
was  not  able  to  prefer  her  charge.  Allah  put 
different  words  into  her  mouth :  she  acknowl- 
edged her  guilt,  and  confessed  that  Korah  had 
induced  her,  by  innumerable  promises,  to  bring 
a  false  accusation  against  Moses.  Moses  pray- 
ed to  Allah  for  protection  against  the  malignity 
of  his  kinsman  ;  and  lo  !  the  earth  opened  under 
the  feet  of  Korah,  and  devoured  him,  with  all 
his  associates  and  goods. 

As  the  fortieth  year  was  hastening  to  its  close, 
Moses  marched  with  the  Iraelites  toward  the 
frontier  of  Palestine. 

But  when  Jalub  Ifn  Safum,  the  king  of  Balka, 

*  The  Midrash  says,  "  Korah  had  300  white  muks,  which  car- 
ried the  keys  of  his  treasuries.     His  wealth  was  his  ruin  !" 


BALAAM.  163 

received  intelligence  of  the  approach  of  the  Is- 
raelites, who  had  already,  in  their  march,  con- 
quered many  cities,  he  called  to  him  Beliam  the 
sorcerer,  the  son  of  Baur,  in  hopes  to  be  enabled, 
by  his  counsel  and  aid,  to  withstand  the  Israel- 
ites. But  an  angel  appeared  to  Beliam  in  the 
night,  and  forbade  him  to  accept  the  invitation 
of  Jalub.  When,  therefore,  the  messengers  of 
the  king  returned  to  Balka  without  Beliam,  Jalub 
purchased  the  most  costly  jewels,  and  sent  them 
secretly  by  other  messengers  to  Beliam's  wife, 
to  whom  the  sorcerer  was  so  much  attached  as 
to  be  quite  under  her  control.  Beliam's  wife 
accepted  the  presents,  and  persuaded  her  hus- 
band to  undertake  the  journey.  The  king,  ac- 
companied by  his  viziers,  rode  out  some  distance 
to  meet  him,  and  appointed  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful houses  of  the  city  for  his  abode.  Accord- 
mg  to  the  custom  of  the  country,  the  guest  was 
provided  three  days  from  the  royal  tables,  and 
the  viziers  visited  him  from  time  to  time,  with- 
out speaking,  however,  of  the  object  for  which 
he  had  been  called  to  Balka.  It  was  not  until 
the  fourth  day  that  he  was  summoned  to  the 
king,  and  entreated  to  curse  the  people  of  Israel. 
But  Allah  paralyzed  the  tongue  of  Beliam,  so 
that,  notwithstanding  his  hatred  toward  the 
people,  he  was  not  able  to  utter  a  word  of  im- 
precation. 


164  THE    TEMPTER. 

Wlien  the  king  saw  this,  he  prayed  him  at 
least  to  assist  with  his  counsel  against  the  invad- 
ing nation. 

"The  best  means  against  the  Israelites,"  said 
Beliam,  "  who  are  so  terrible  only  through  the 
assistance  of  Allah,  is  to  lead  them  into  sin. 
Their  God  then  forsakes  them,  and  they  are  un- 
able to  resist  any  foe.  Send,  therefore,  the 
most  beautiful  women  and  maidens  of  the  capi- 
tal to  meet  them  with  provisions,  that  they  may 
yield  to  sin,  and  then  thou  shalt  easily  overcome 
them." 

The  king  adopted  this  counsel ;  but  Moses 
was  apprised  thereof  by  the  angel  Gabriel,  and 
caused  the  first' Israelite  who  was  led  into  sin  to 
be  put  to  death,  and  as  a  warning,  commanded 
his  head  to  be  carried  on  a  spear  throughout  the 
camp.  He  then  instantly  led  on  the  attack : 
Balka  was  taken,  and  the  king,  with  Beliam  and 
his  sons,  w^ere  the  first  to  perish  in  the  fight. 
Soon  after  the  conquest  of  Balka,  Gabriel  ap- 
peared, and  commanded  Moses,  together  with 
Aaron  and  his  sons,  to  follow  him  to  a  lofty 
mountain  which  lay  near  the  city.  On  reaching 
the  pinnacle  of  the  mountain  they  beheld  a 
finely-wrought  cave,  in  the  midst  of  which  there 
stood  a  coffin,  with  the  inscription,  "  I  am  des- 
tined for  him  whom  I  fit."  Moses  desired  to 
lay  himself  first  into  it,  but  his  feet  protruded  ; 


THE    DEATH    OF    AARON.  165 

then  Aaron  placed  himself  in  it,  and  behold,  it 
fitted  him  as  if  his  measure  had  been  taken. 
Gabriel  then  led  Moses  and  Aaron's  sons  be- 
yond the  cave,  but  he  himself  returned  to  wash 
and  to  bless  Aaron,  whose  soul  had  mean  while 
been  taken  by  the  Angel  of  Death,  When  Mo- 
ses returned  to  the  camp  without  Aaron,  and 
announced  his  death  to  the  Israelites  who  in- 
quired for  his  brother,  he  was  suspected  of  hav- 
ing murdered  him  ;  many,  even,  were  not  afraid 
to  proclaim  their  suspicions  in  public.  Moses 
prayed  to  Allah  to  manifest  his  innocence  in  the 
presence  of  all  the  people,  and  behold,  four  an- 
gels brought  Aaron's  coffin  from  the  cave,  and 
raised  it  above  the  camp  of  the  Israelites,  so 
that  every  one  could  see  him,  and  one  of  the  an- 
gels exclaimed,  "  Allah  has  taken  Aaron's  soul 
to  himself"*  Moses,  who  now  anticipated  his 
approaching  end,  pronounced  a  long  discourse 
before  the  Israelites,  in  which  he  enforced  on 
them  the  most  important  laws.  At  the  close, 
he  warned  them  against  falsifying  the  Law, 
which  had  been  revealed  to  them,  and  in  which 
the  future  appearance  of  Mohammed,  in  whom 
they  were  all  to  believe,  was  quite  clearly  an- 
nounced. A  few  days  after,  while  he  was  read- 
ing in  the  Law,  the  Angel  of  Death  visited  him. 
Moses  said,  "  If  thou  be  commanded  to  receive 

*  In  perfect  accordance  with  the  Midrash,  p.  255. 


166  THE    DEATH    OF    MOSES. 

my  soul,  take  it  from  my  mouth,  for  it  was  con- 
stantly occupied  with  the  word  of  Allah,  and 
has  not  been  touched  by  any  unclean  thing." 
He  then  put  on  his  most  beautiful  robes,  ap- 
pointed Joshua  his  successor,  and  died  at  an  age 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty,  or,  as  some  of  the 
learned  maintain,  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
years.     The  mercy  of  Allah  be  with  him  ! 

Others  relate  the  particulars  of  Moses's  death 
as  follows  :  When  Gabriel  announced  to  him  his 
approaching  dissolution,  he  ran  hurriedly  to  his 
dwelling,  and  knocked  hastily  at  the  door.  His 
wife  Safurija  opened  it,  and  beholding  him  quite 
pale,  and  with  ruffled  countenance,  inquired, 
"  Who  pursueth  thee,  that  thou  runnest  hither 
in  terror  and  lookest  dismayed  !  Who  is  it  that 
pursueth  thee  for  debt  ?" 

Then  Moses  answered,  "  Is  there  a  mightier 
creditor  than  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  or 
a  more  dangerous  pursuer  than  the  Angel  of 
Death  ?" 

"  Shall,  then,  a  man  who  has  spoken  with  Al- 
lah die?" 

"  Assuredly,  even  the  angel  Gabriel  shall  be 
delivered  to  death,  and  Michael  and  Israfil,  with 
all  other  angels.  Allah  alone  is  eternal,  and 
never  dies." 

Safurija  wept  until  she  swooned  away ;  but 


THE    DEATH    OF    MOSES.  167 

when  she  came  to  herself,  Moses  inquired, 
"  Where  are  my  children  ?" 

"  They  are  asleep." 

"  Awake  them,  that  I  may  bid  them  a  last  fare- 
well." 

Safurija  went  before  the  couch  of  her  children, 
and  cried, "  Rise,  ye  poor  orphans  ;  rise,  and  take 
leave  of  your  father,  for  this  day  is  his  last  in 
this  world  and  his  first  in  the  next." 

The  children  started  from  their  sleep  in  af- 
fright, and  cried,  "  Woe  unto  us  !  who  will  have 
compassion  upon  us  when  we  shall  be  fatherless  ? 
Who  will  with  solicitude  and  affection  step  over 
our  threshold  ?" 

Moses  was  so  moved  that  he  wept  bitterly 

Then  said  Allah  to  him,  "  Moses,  what  signify 
these  tears  ?  Art  thou  afraid  of  death,  or  de- 
partest  thou  reluctantly  from  this  world  ?" 

"  I  fear  not  death,  and  leave  this  world  with 
gladness  ;  but  I  have  compassion  on  these  chil- 
dren, from  whom  their  father  is  about  to  be  torn." 

"  In  whom  trusted  thy  mother  when  she  con- 
fided thy  life  to  the  waters  ?" 

"  In  Thee,  O  Lord." 

"  Who  protected  thee  against  Pharaoh,  and 
gave  thee  a  staff'  with  which  thou  dividedst  the 
sea  ?" 

"  Thou,  O  Lord." 

"  Go,  then,  once  more  to  the  sea-shore,  lift  up 


168  THE    DEATH    OF    xMoriEs'. 

thy  staff  over  the  waters,  and  thou  shait  see  an- 
other sign  of  my  omnipotence." 

Moses  followed  this  command,  and  instantly 
the  sea  was  divided,  and  he  beheld  in  the  midst 
thereof  a  huge  black  rock.  When  he  came  near 
it,  Allah  cried  to  him,  "  Smite  it  with  thy  staff." 
He  smote  it ;  the  rock  was  cleft  in  twain,  and 
he  saw  beneath  it,  in  a  sort  of  cave,  a  worm 
with  a  green  leaf  in  his  mouth,  which  cried  three 
times,  "  Praised  be  Allah,  who  doth  not  forget 
me  in  my  solitude  !  Praised  be  Allah,  who  hath 
nourished  and  raised  me  up  !"  The  worm  was 
silent ;  and  Allah  said  to  Aloses,  '*  Thou  seest 
that  I  do  not  forsake  the  worm  under  the  hidden 
rock  in  the  sea,  and  how  should  I  forsake  thy 
children,  who  do  even  now  confess  that  God  is 
One,  and  that  Moses  is  his  prophet  ?" 

Moses  then  returned,  reproved,  to  his  house, 
comforted  his  wife  and  children,  and  went  alone 
to  the  mountain.  There  he  found  four  men,  who 
were  digging  a  grave,  and  he  inquired  of  them, 
"  For  w^hom  is  this  grave  ?"  They  replied, "  For 
a  man  whom  Allah  desires  to  have  with  him  in 
heaven."  Moses  begged  permission  to  assist  at 
the  grave  of  so  pious  a  man.  When  the  work 
was  done,  he  inquired,  ''Have  you  taken  the 
measure  of  the  dead?"  "No,"  they  said,  "we 
have  forgotten  it ;  but  he  was  precisely  of  thy 
form  and  stature :  lay  thyself  in  it,  that  we  may 


THE    UEATH    OF    MOlSES.  169 

see  whether  it  will  fit  thee  :  Allah  will  reward 
thy  kindness."  But  when  Moses  had  laid  him- 
self down  within  it,  the  Angel  of  Death  stepped 
before  him,  and  said,  "  Peace  be  upon  thee,  Mo- 
ses !" 

"  Allah  bless  thee,  and  have  pity  upon  thee ! 
Who  art  thou?" 

"  I  am  the  Angel  of  Death  !  Prophet  of  Allah, 
and  come  to  receive  thy  soul." 

"  How  wilt  thou  take  it " 

"  Out  of  thy  mouth." 

*'  Thou  canst  not,  for  my  mouth  hath  spoken 
with  God." 

"  I  will  draw  it  out  of  thine  eyes." 

"  Thou  mayest  not  do  so,  for  they  have  seen 
the  light  of  the  Lord." 

"  Well,  then,  I  will  take  it  out  of  thine  ears." 

"  This  also  thou  mayest  not  do,  for  they  have 
heard  the  word  of  Allah." 

"  I  will  take  it  from  thy  hands." 

"How  darest  thou?  Have  they  not  borne 
the  diamond  tablets  on  which  the  Law  was  en- 
graved ?" 

Allah  then  commanded  the  Angel  of  Death  to 
ask  of  Ridwhan,  the  guardian  of  Paradise,  an 
apple  of  Eden,  and  to  present  it  to  Moses. 

Moses  took  the  apple  from  the  hand  of  the 
Angel  of  Death  to  inhale  its  fragrance,  and  at 
that  instant  his  noble  soul  rose  through  his  nos- 


170  HIS    SEPULCHER. 


trils  to  heaven.  But  his  body  remained  in  this 
grave,  which  no  one  knew  save  Gabriel,  Michael, 
Israfil,  and  Azrail,  who  had  dug  it,  and  whom 
Moses  had  taken  for  men. 


SAMUEL,  SAUL,  AND  DAVID. 

The  Israelites  lived  under  Joshua  (who  was, 
however,  not  a  prophet,  but  merely  a  virtuous 
prince  and  valiant  chief)  conformably  to  the  laws 
revealed  by  Moses  ;  the  Lord  therefore  enabled 
them  to  expel  the  giants  from  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, and  at  their  cry,  "  Allah  is  great,"  the  loft- 
iest walls  of  fortified  cities  fell  in.  ' 

But  after  Joshua's  death  they  relapsed  into  all 
those  iniquities  on  account  of  which  the  Egyp- 
tians had  been  so  severely  punished  ;  wherefore 
Allah,  in  order  to  chastise  and  to  reclaim  his  peo- 
ple, sent  the  giant  Djalut  (Goliath)  against  them, 
who  defeated  them  in  numerous  engagements, 
and  even  took  from  them  the  Tabut  (the  sacred 
ark  of  the  Covenant),  so  that  the  protection  of 
Allah  entirely  departed  from  them. 

One  day,  when  the  heads  of  the  people  were 
assembled  to  consult  in  what  manner  the  mighty 
Goliath  might  be  resisted,  there  came  a  man  to 
them  of  the  family  of  Aaron :  his  name  was  Ish- 
mawil  Ibn  Bal  (Samuel),  and  said, "  The  God  of 
your  fathers  sent  me  to  you,  to  proclaim  speedy 
help  if  you  will  turn  to  him,  but  utter  destruc- 
tion if  you  continue  in  your  wicked  courses." 


172  SAMUEL. 

"  What  shall  we  do,"  inquired  one  of  the  eld- 
ers, "  to  obtain  the  favor  of  Allah  ?" 

Samuel  replied,  "  You  shall  worship  Allah 
alone,  and  oifer  no  sacrifices  unto  idols  ;  nor  eat 
that  which  has  died  of  itself,  nor  swine's  flesh, 
nor  blood,  nor  any  thing  that  has  not  been  slaugh- 
tered in  the  name  of  Allah.  Assist  each  other 
in  doing  good,  honor  your  parents,  treat  your 
wives  with  kindness,  support  the  widow,  the  or- 
phan, and  the  poor.  Believe  in  the  prophets 
that  have  gone  before  me,  especially  in  Abra- 
ham, for  whom  Allah  turned  the  burning  pile 
into  a  garden  of  delight ;  in  Ismael,  whose  neck 
he  rendered  invulnerable,  and  for  whom  he 
caused  a  fountain  to  spring  up  in  the  stony  des- 
ert; and  in  Moses,  who  opened  with  his  rod 
twelve  dry  paths  through  the  sea. 

"  Believe,  in  like  manner,  in  the  prophets  that 
shall  come  after  me ;  above  all,  in  Isa  Ibn  Ma- 
riam,  the  spirit  of  Allah  (Christ),  and  in  Moham- 
med Ibn  Abd  Allah." 

"  Who  is  Isa  ?"  inquired  one  of  the  heads  of 
Israel. 

"  He  is  the  prophet,"  replied  Samuel,  "  whom 
the  Scriptures  point  out  as  the  Word  of  Allah. 
His  mother  shall  conceive  him  as  a  virgin  by 
the  will  of  the  Lord  and  the  breath  of  the  angel 
Gabriel.  Even  in  the  womb  he  shall  praise  the 
omnipotence  of  Allah,  and  testify  to  the  purity 


CHRIST    AND    MOHAMMED.  173 

of  his  mother ;  but  at  a  later  period  he  shall  heal 
the  sick  and  leprous,  raise  the  dead,  and  create 
living  birds  out  of  clay.  His  godless  contempo- 
raries will  afflict  and  attempt  to  crucify  him  ;  but 
Allah  shall  blind  them,  so  that  another  shall  be 
crucified  in  his  stead,  while  he,  like  the  prophet 
Enoch,  is  taken  up  into  heaven  without  tasting 
death." 

"  And  Mohammed,  who  is  he  ?"  continued  the 
same  Israelite ;  "  his  name  sounds  so  strangely 
that  I  do  not  remember  ever  having  heard  it  in 
Israel." 

"  Mohammed,"  Samuel  replied,  "  does  not  be- 
long to  our  people,  but  is  a  descendant  of  Ismael, 
and  the  last  and  greatest  prophet,  to  whom  even 
Moses  and  Christ  shall  bow  down  in  the  day  of 
the  resurrection. 

"  His  name,  which  signifies  the '  Much-praised- 
One,'  indicates  of  itself  the  many  excellences 
for  which  he  is  blessed  by  all  creatures  both  in 
heaven  and  on  earth. 

"  But  the  wonders  which  he  shall  perform  are 
so  numerous  that  a  whole  human  life  would  not 
suffice  to  narrate  them.  I  shall  content  myself, 
therefore,  with  communicating  to  you  but  a  part 
of  what  he  shall  see  in  one  single  night.* 

*  The  following  narrative,  which  Samuel  is  made  to  utter,  de- 
scribes the  Night  Journey  of  Mohammed.  He  revealed  it  to  his 
followers  in  the  12th  year  of  his  mission ;  and  though  his  Arabs 
were  given  to  the  marvellous,  yet  this  staggered  even  their  cre- 

P2 


174  THE    NIGHT    JOURNEY. 

"  In  a  frightfully  tempestuous  night,  when  the 
cock  refrains  from  crowing,  and  the  hound  from 
baying,  he  shall  be  roused  from  his  sleep  by 
Gabriel,  who  frequently  appears  to  him  in  human 
form  ;  but  who  on  this  occasion  comes  as  Allah 
created  him,  with  his  seven  hundred  radiant 
wings,  between  each  of  which  is  a  space  which 
the  fleetest  steed  can  scarcely  traverse  in  five 
hundred  years. 

"He  shall  lead  him  forth  to  a  spot  where 
Borak,  the  miraculous  horse,  the  same  which 
Abraham  used  to  mount  on  his  pilgrimages  from 
Syria  to  Mecca,  stands  ready  to  receive  him. 

"  This  horse  also  has  two  wings  like  an  eagle, 
feet  like  a  dromedary ;  a  body  of  diamonds, 
which  shines  like  the  sun,  and  a  head  like  the 
most  beautiful  virgin. 

"  On  this  miraculous  steed,  on  whose  forehead 
is  engraved  '  There  is  no  Lord  but  Allah,  and 
Mohammed  is  his  messenger,'  he  is  carried  first 
to  Medina,  then  to  Sinai,  to  Bethlehem,  and  to 
Jerusalem,  that  he  may  pray  on  holy  ground. 
From  thence  he  ascends  by  a  golden  ladder, 
whose  steps  are  of  ruby,  of  emerald,  and  hya- 
cinth, into  the  seventh  heaven,  where  he  is  ini- 
tiated in  all  the  mysteries  of  creation,  and  the 
government  of  the  universe. 

dulity,  and  would  have  proved  his  utter  ruin  but  for  the  resolute 
interposition  of  Abu  Bekr. — E.  T. 


THE    NlfiFlT    JOURNEY.  175 

"  He  beholds  the  pious  amid  all  their  felicities 
in  Paradise,  and  sinners  in  their  varied  agonies 
in  hell.  Many  of  them  are  roaming  there  like 
ravenous  beasts  through  barren  fields  ;  they  are 
those  who  in  this  life  enjoyed  the  bounties  of 
Allah,  and  gave  nothing  thereof  to  the  poor. 

"  Others  run  to  and  fro,  carrying  fresh  meat 
m  one  hand,  and  corroded  flesh  in  the  other ; 
but  as  often  as  they  would  put  the  former  into 
their  mouths,  their  hands  are  struck  with  fiery 
rods  until  they  partake  of  the  putrefied  morsel. 
This  is  the  punishment  of  those  who  broke  their 
marriage  vow,  and  found  pleasure  in  guilty  in- 
dulgences. 

"  The  bodies  of  others  are  terribly  swollen, 
and  are  still  increasing  in  bulk :  they  are  such 
as  have  grown  rich  by  usury,  and  whose  ava- 
rice was  insatiable. 

"  The  tongues  and  lips  of  others  are  seized 
and  pinched  with  iron  pincers,  as  the  punish- 
ment of  their  calumnious  and  rebellious  speech- 
es, by  which  they  caused  so  much  evil  in  the 
earth. 

"  Midway  between  Paradise  and  hell  is  seated 
Adam,  the  father  of  the  human  race,  who  smiles 
with  joy  as  often  as  the  gates  of  Paradise  are 
thrown  open,  and  the  triumphant  cries  of  the 
blessed  are  borne  forth,  but  weeps  when  the 
gates  of  hell  are  unclosed,  and  the  sighs  of  the 
damned  penetrate  to  his  ear. 


176  THE    NIGHT    JOURNEY. 

"  In  that  night  Mohammed  beholds,  besides 
Gabriel,  other  angels,  many  of  whom  have  sev- 
enty thousand  heads,  each  head  with  seventy 
thousand  faces,  each  face  with  seventy  thousand 
mouths,  and  each  mouth  with  seventy  thousand 
tongues,  each  of  w  hich  praises  Allah  in  seventy 
thousand  languages.  He  sees,  too,  the  Angel 
of  Reconciliation,  who  is  half  fire  and  half  ice : 
the  angel  who  watches  with  scowling  visage 
and  flaming  eyes  the  treasuries  of  fire  :  the  An- 
gel of  Death,  holding  in  his  hand  a  huge  tablet, 
inscribed  with  names,  of  which  he  effaces  hun- 
dreds every  instant :  the  angel  who  keeps  the 
floods,  and  measures  out  with  an  immense  bal- 
ance the  waters  appointed  unto  every  river  and 
every  fountain ;  and  him,  finally,  who  supports 
the  throne  of  Allah  on  his  shoulders,  and  is 
holding  a  trumpet  in  his  mouth,  whose  blast 
shall  one  day  wake  the  sleepers  from  the  grave. 

"  He  is  at  last  conducted  through  many  oceans 
of  light,  into  the  vicinity  of  the  holy  throne  itself, 
which  is  so  vast,  that  the  rest  of  the  universe 
appears  by  its  side  like  the  scales  of  a  coat  of 
armor  in  the  boundless  desert. 

"  That  which  shall  be  revealed  to  him  there," 
continued  Samuel,  "  is  as  yet  concealed  from 
me  ;  but  this  I  know  :  He  shall  gaze  on  the  glory 
of  Allah  at  the  distance  of  a  bow-shot ;  shall 
then  descend  to  earth  by  the  ladder,  and  return 
on  Borak  to  Mecca  as  rapidly  as  he  came. 


I 


SAUL.  177 

"To  accomplish  this  vast  journey,  including 
his  stay  in  Medina,  Bethlehem,  Jerusalem,  and 
in  heaven,  he  requires  so  little  time,  that  a  wa- 
ter vase,  which  he  overturns  in  rising  from  his 
couch,  will  not  have  emptied  its  contents  at  his 
return." 

The  assembled  Israelites  listened  attentively 
to  Samuel,  and  w-hen  he  had  finished,  they  ex- 
claimed with  one  voice,  "  We  believe  in  Allah, 
and  in  his  prophets  which  were  and  are  to 
come  ;  only  pray  that  He  may  dehver  us  from 
the  tyranny  of  Goliath." 

Samuel  prayed  and  fasted  till  at  length  Allah 
sent  an  angel,  who  commanded  him  to  go  out 
of  the  city,  and  to  proclaim  the  first  man  who 
should  meet  him  king  over  Israel,  since  in  his 
reign  the  Israelites  should  regain  their  independ- 
ence from  foreign  bondage. 

Samuel  did  as  he  was  commanded,  and  met 
Talut  [Saul],  the  son  of  Bishr,  the  son  of  Ahnun, 
the  son  of  Benjamin,  who  was  a  husbandman 
of  lofty  stature,  but  not  otherwise  remarkable, 
though  Allah  had  put  much  wisdom  into  his 
heart. 

He  was  wandering  about  in  search  of  a  heifer 
which  had  broken  away  from  her  plough  and 
run  at  large.  Samuel  assisted  him  in  her  re- 
covery, and  then  took  Saul  home  with  him, 
anointed  him  with  oil,  and  presented  iiim  to  the 
13 


178  SAUL. 

heads  of  Israel  as  their  king  and  divinely-com- 
missioned deUverer. 

But  they  refused  to  accept  as  their  king  a 
common  peasant,  who  hitherto  had  not  distin- 
guished himself  in  any  wise;  and  they  demand- 
ed a  miracle. 

"  Allah  "  replied  Samuel,  "  will,  in  token  of 
his  ratifying  this  kingly  election,  restore  to  you 
the  ark  of  the  covenant." 

From  that  day  the  Philistines  were  visited 
with  the  most  painful  and  disgusting  leprosy, 
whose  origin  no  physician  could  discover,  and 
which  no  physician  could  cure.  But  as  the 
plague  fell  most  heavily  on  that  city  where  the 
ark  of  the  covenant,  which  had  been  carried  in 
triumph  from  one  place  to  another,  happened  to 
be,  no  one  w'ould  retain  it  any  longer,  and  it 
was  at  last  left  standing  in  a  wagon  in  the  open 
field. 

Allah  then  commanded  two  invisible  angels 
to  carry  it  back  into  the  midst  of  the  camp  of 
Israel,  who  thereupon  no  longer  hesitated  to  do 
fealty  unto  Saul  as  their  king. 

As  soon  as  he  was  elected,  Saul  mustered  the 
host  of  Israel,  and  marched  against  the  Philis- 
tines at  the  head  of  seventy  thousand  men. 

During  their  march  through  the  wilderness, 
they  were  one  day  in  want  of  water,  so  that  a 
universal  murmuring  arose  against  Samuel  and 


PEWANt'E.  179 

Saul.  Samuel,  who  was  following  after  the  ark 
of  the  covenant,  prayed  to  the  Lord,  and  there 
sprung  from  out  the  rocky  ground  a  fountain 
of  water,  which  was  as  fresh  as  snow,  as  sweet 
as  honey,  and  as  white  as  milk.  But  when  the 
soldiers  came  rushing  toward  it,  Samuel  cried, 
"  You  have  grievously  sinned  against  your  king 
and  against  your  God  by  reason  of  discontent 
and  rebellion.  Forbear  to  touch  this  water,  that 
by  abstinence  you  may  atone  for  your  sin !" 

But  Samuel's  words  met  with  no  regard. 
Only  three  hundred  and  thirteen  men — as  many 
as  fought  in  the  first  engagement  of  the  Mussul- 
mans against  the  Infidels — mastered  their  appe- 
tite, barely  refreshing  themselves,  while  all  the 
rest  of  the  army  yielded  to  the  temptation,  and 
drank  in  full  draughts  from  the  fountain. 

When  Talut  beheld  this,  he  disbanded  the 
whole  army,  and,  relying  on  the  aid  of  Allah, 
marched  against  the  enemy  with  the  small  num- 
ber of  his  men  who  had  conquered  their  desire. 

Among  this  little  band  were  six  sons  of  a  vir- 
tuous man  whose  name  was  Isa.  Davud  [Da- 
vid], his  seventh  son,  had  remained  at  home  to 
nurse  his  aged  father. 

But  when,  for  a  long  time,  no  engagement  took 
place  between  Israel  and  the  Philistines,  since 
no  one  had  accepted  the  challenge  to  single 
combat  with  Goliath,  by  which  a  general  battle 


1»U  DAVID. 

was  to  be  preceded,  Isa  sent  also  his  seventh  son 
into  the  camp,  partly  to  carry  fresh  provisions 
to  his  brothers,  and  partly  to  bring  him  tidings 
of  their  welfare. 

On  his  way  he  heard  a  voice  from  a  pebble 
which  lay  in  the  midst  of  the  road,  calling  to 
him,  "  Lift  me  up,  for  I  am  one  of  the  stones 
with  which  the  prophet  Abraham  drove  Satan 
away  when  he  would  have  shaken  his  resolve 
to  sacrifice  his  son  in  obedience  to  his  heavenly 
vision." 

David  placed  the  stone,  which  was  inscribed 
with  holy  names,  in  the  bag  which  he  wore  in 
his  upper  garment,  for  he  was  simply  dressed 
like  a  traveler,  and  not  as  a  soldier. 

When  he  had  proceeded  a  little  farther,  he 
again  heard  a  voice  from  another  pebble,  crying, 
"  Take  me  with  thee,  for  I  am  the  stone  which 
the  angel  Gabriel  struck  out  from  the  ground 
with  his  foot  when  he  caused  a  fountain  to  gush 
forth  in  the  wilderness  for  Ismael's  sake." 

David  took  this  stone  also,  and  laying  it  be- 
side the  first,  went  on  his  way.  But  soon  he 
heard  the  following  words  proceeding  from  a 
third  stone :  "  Lift  me  up,  for  I  am  the  stone 
with  which  Jacob  fought  against  the  angels 
which  his  brother  Esau  had  sentout  against  him." 

David  took  this  stone  likewise,  and  continued 
his  journey  without  interruption  until  he  came 


GOLIATH.  181 

to  his  brothers  in  the  camp  of  Israel.  On  his 
arrival  there,  he  heard  how  a  herald  proclaimed, 
"  Whoever  puts  the  giant  Goliath  to  death  shall 
become  Saul's  son-in-law,  and  succeed  hereafter 
to  his  throne." 

David  sought  to  persuade  his  brothers  to  ven- 
ture the  combat  with  Goliath,  not  to  become  the 
king's  son-in-law  and  successor,  but  to  wipe  off 
the  reproach  that  rested  on  their  people. 

But,  since  courage  and  confidence  failed  them, 
he  went  to  Saul,  and  offered  to  accept  the  gi- 
ant's challenge.  The  king  had  but  little  hopes 
indeed  that  a  tender  youth,  such  as  David  then 
was,  would  defeat  a  warrior  like  Goliath  ;  yet 
he  permitted  the  combat  to  take  place,  for  he 
believed  that  even  if  he  should  fall,  his  reproach- 
ful example  would  excite  some  others  to  imitate 
his  heroic  conduct. 

On  the  following  morning,  when  Goliath,  as 
usual,  challenged  with  proud  speech  the  war- 
riors of  Israel,  David,  in  his  traveling  apparel, 
and  with  his  bag  containing  the  three  stones, 
stepped  down  into  the  arena.  Goliath  laughed 
aloud  on  seeing  his  youthful  antagonist,  and  said 
to  him,  "  Rather  hie  thee  home  to  play  with  lads 
of  thine  own  years.  How  wilt  thou  fight  with 
me,  seeing  that  thou  art  even  unarmed  V 

David  replied,  "  Thou  art  as  a  dog  unto  me, 
whom  one  mav  best  drive  awav  with  a  stone ;" 

Q 


182  saul's  jealousy. 

and  before  Goliath  was  yet  able  to  draw  his 
sword  from  its  scabbard,  he  took  the  three  stones 
from  his  bag,  pierced  the  giant  with  one  of  them, 
so  that  he  instantly  fell  lifeless  on  the  ground,  and 
drove  with  the  second  the  right  wing  of  the  Phi- 
listines into  flight,  and  their  left  wing  with  the 
third. 

But  Saul  was  jealous  of  David,  whom  all  Is- 
rael extolled  as  their  greatest  hero,  and  refused 
to  give  him  his  daughter  until  he  brought  the 
heads  of  a  hundred  giants  as  the  marriage  gift. 
But  the  greater  David's  achievements  were,  the 
more  rancorous  grew  the  envy  of  Saul,  so  that 
he  even  sought  treacherously  to  slay  him.  Da- 
vid defeated  all  his  plans  ;  but  he  never  revenged 
himself,  and  Saul's  hatred  waxed  greater  by 
reason  of  this  very  magnanimity. 

One  day  he  visited  his  daughter  in  David's 
absence,  and  threatened  to  put  her  to  death  un- 
less she  gave  him  a  promise,  and  confirmed  it 
by  the  most  sacred  oaths,  that  she  would  deliver 
her  husband  unto  him  during  the  night. 

When  the  latter  returned  home,  his  wife  met 
him  in  alarm,  and  related  what  had  happened 
between  her  and  her  father.  David  said  to  her, 
"  Be  faithful  to  thine  oath,  and  open  the  door  of 
my  chamber  to  thy  father  as  soon  as  I  shall  be 
asleep.  Allah  will  protect  me  even  in  my  sleep, 
and  give  me  the  means  of  rendering  Saul's  sword 


SAULS    JEALOUSY.  183 

harmless,  even  as  Abraham's  weapon  was  im- 
potent against  Ismael,  who  yielded  his  neck  to 
the  slaughter." 

He  then  went  into  his  forge,  and  prepared  a 
coat  of  mail,  which  covered  the  whole  upper 
part  of  his  body  from  his  neck  downward.  This 
coat  was  as  fine  as  a  hair,  and,  clinging  to  him 
like  silk,  resisted  every  kind  of  weapon  ;  for  Da- 
vid had  been  endowed,  as  a  special  favor  frorp 
Allah,  with  the  power  of  melting  iron  without 
fire,  and  of  fashioning  it  like  wax  for  every  con- 
ceivable purpose,  with  no  instrument  but  his 
hand. 

To  him  we  are  indebted  for  the  ringed  coat 
of  mail,  for  up  to  his  time  armor  consisted  of 
simple  iron  plates. 

David  was  wrapped  in  the  most  peaceful  slum- 
ber, when  Saul,  guided  by  his  daughter,  entered 
his  chamber ;  and  it  was  not  until  his  father-in- 
law  haggled  the  impenetrable  mail  with  his 
sword  as  with  a  saw,  bearing  on  it  with  all  his 
strength,  that  David  awoke,  tore  the  sword  from 
his  hand,  and  broke  it  in  pieces  as  if  it  had  been 
a  morsel  of  bread. 

But  after  this  occurrence,  he  thought  it  no 
longer  advisable  to  tarry  with  Saul,  and  there- 
fore retired  to  the  mountains,  with  a  few  of  his 
friends  and  adherents.  Saul  made  use  of  this 
pretext  to  have  him  suspected  of  the  people,  and 


184  SAUL    AND    DAVID    RECONCILED. 

at  last,  accusing  him  of  treason,  marched  against 
him  at  the  head  of  one  thousand  soldiers.  But 
David  was  so  endeared  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
mountain,  and  knew  its  hiding-places  so  well, 
that  it  was  impossible  for  Saul  to  take  him. 

One  night,  while  Saul  was  asleep,  David  left 
a  cave  which  was  quite  near  to  the  king's  en- 
campment, and  took  the  signet  ring  from  his  fin- 
ger, together  with  his  arms  and  a  standard 
which  were  lying  by  his  side.  He  then  retreat- 
ed through  the  cave,  which  had  a  double  en- 
trance, and  the  next  morning  appeared  on  the 
pinnacle  of  a  mountain  which  stood  opposite  to 
the  camp  of  the  Israelites,  having  girt  on  Saul's 
huge  sword,  and  waving  his  standard  up  and 
down,  and  stretching  out  his  finger  on  which  he 
had  placed  the  king's  ring. 

Saul,  who  could  not  understand  how  a  thief 
could  have  penetrated  into  the  midst  of  his  well- 
guarded  camp,  recognized  David  and  the  arti- 
cles which  had  been  taken  from  him.  This  new 
proof  of  his  dexterity  and  magnanimous  dispo- 
sition overcame  at  last  the  king's  envy  and  dis- 
pleasure ;  he  therefore  dispatched  a  messenger, 
who  in  the  royal  name  begged  forgiveness  for 
all  the  grievances  he  had  inflicted,  and  invited 
David  to  return  to  his  home. 

David  was  overjoyed  at  a  reconciliation  with 
his  father-in-law,  and  they  now  lived  together  in 


THE    ROYAL    DINGER.  185 

peace  and  harmony  until  Saul  was  slain,  in  a 
disastrous  engagement  with  the  Philistines. 

After  Saul's  death  David  was  unanimously- 
elected  King  of  Israel,  and  by  the  help  of  Allah 
he  soon  reconquered  the  Philistines,  and  extend- 
ed the  boundaries  of  his  kingdom  far  and  wide. 

But  David  was  not  only  a  brave  warrior  and 
a  wise  king,  but  likewise  a  great  prophet.  Allah 
revealed  to  him  seventy  psalms,  and  endowed 
him  with  a  voice  such  as  no  mortal  possessed 
before  him.  In  height  and  depth,  in  power  and 
melody  combined,  no  human  voice  had  ever 
equaled  it.  He  could  imitate  the  thunders  of 
heaven  and  the  roar  of  the  lion  as  well  as  the 
delicious  notes  of  the  nightingale  ;  nor  was  there 
any  other  musician  or  singer  in  Israel  as  long 
as  David  lived,  because  no  one  who  had  once 
heard  him  could  take  pleasure  in  any  other  per- 
formance. Every  third  day  he  prayed  with  the 
congregation,  and  sung  the  psalms  in  a  chapel 
which  was  hewn  out  of  the  mountain  rocks. 
Then  not  only  all  men  assembled  to  hear  him, 
but  even  beasts  and  birds  came  from  afar,  at- 
tracted by  his  wonderful  song. 

One  day,  as  he  was  on  his  return  from  prayer, 
he  heard  two  of  his  subjects  contending  which 
of  the  two  was  the  greater  prophet,  Abraham 
o^'  himself.  "  Was  not  Abraham,"  said  the  one, 
"  saved  from  the  burning  pile  ?"  "  Has  not  Da- 
Q2 


186  PRESUMPTION    AND    FALL. 

vid,''  replied  the  other, "  slain  the  giant  Djalut?" 
"  But  what  has  David  achieved,"  resumed  the 
first,  "  that  might  be  compared  u^th  Abraham's 
readiness  to  sacrifice  his  son  ?" 

As  soon  as  David  came  home,  ne  fell  down 
before  Allah  and  prayed  :  "  Lord,  who  hast 
proved  on  the  pile  Abraham's  fidelity  and  obe- 
dience, grant  unto  me  too  an  opportunity  to 
show  unto  my  people  that  my  love  to  thee  with- 
stands every  temptation." 

David's  prayer  was  heard:  when,  three  days' 
afterward,  he  ascended-  his  pulpit,  he  perceived 
a  bird  of  such  beautiful  plumage  that  it  attract- 
ed his  whole  attention,  and  he  followed  it  with 
his  eyes  to  every  corner  of  the  chapel,  and  to 
the  trees  and  shrubs  beyond.  He  sung  fewer 
psalms  than  he  was  wont  to  do  ;  his  voice  failed 
him  as  often  as  he  lost  sight  of  this  graceful 
bird,  and  grew  soft  and  playful  in  the  most  sol- 
emn parts  of  the  worship  whenever  it  reap- 
peared. 

At  the  close  of  the  prayers,  which,  to  the  as- 
tonishment of  the  whole  assembly,  were  conclud- 
ed on  this  occasion  several  hours  sooner  than 
usual,  he  followed  the  bird,  which  flew  from 
tree  to  tree,  until  he  found  himself,  at  sunset,  on 
the  margin  of  a  little  lake.  The  bird  disappear- 
ed in  the  lake,  but  David  soon  forgot  it ;  for  in 
its  stend  there  rose  up  a  female  form,  whose 


REBUKE.  187 

beauty  dazzled  him  like  the  clearest  midday 
sun.  He  inquired  her  name :  it  was  Saja,  the 
daughter  of  Josu,  the  wife  of  Uriah  Ibn  Haman, 
who  was  with  the  army.  David  departed,  and 
on  his  return  commanded  the  chief  of  his  troops 
to  appoint  Uriah  to  the  most  dangerous  post  in 
the  vanguard  of  the  army.  His  command  was 
executed,  and  soon  afterward  the  death  of  Uriah 
was  reported.  David  then  wooed  his  widow, 
and  married  her  at  the  expiration  of  the  pre- 
scribed time. 

On  the  day  after  his  marriage,  there  appeared, 
at  Allah's  command,  Gabriel  and  Michael  in  hu- 
man form  before  David,  and  Gabriel  said, "  The 
man  whom  thou  seest  here  before  thee  is  the 
owner  of  ninety-nine  sheep,  while  I  possess  an 
only  one ;  nevertheless,  he  pursues  me  without 
ceasing,  and  demands  that  I  should  give  up  my 
only  sheep  to  him." 

"  Thy  demand  is  unreasonable,"  said  David, 
"  and  betrays  an  unbelieving  heart  and  a  rude 
disposition." 

But  Gabriel  interrupted  him,  saying,  "Many 
a  noble  and  accomplished  heliever  permits  him- 
self more  unjust  things  than  this." 

David  now  perceived  this  to  be  an  allusion 
to  his  conduct  toward  Uriah  ;  and,  filled  with 
wrath,  he  grasped  his  sword,*  and  would  have 

*  The  Scriptures  teach  that  David  gcKnowledged  his  sin  on 


188  REBUKE. 

plunged  it  into  Gabriel  ;  but  Michael  gave  a 
laud  laugh  of  scorn;  and  when  Gabriel  and  him- 
self had  ascended  above  David's  head  on  their 
angels'  wings,  he  said  to  David,  "  Thou  hast 
pronounced  thine  own  sentence,  and  called  thine 
act  that  of  a  barbarous  infidel :  Allah  will  there- 
fore bestow  upon  thy  son  a  portion  of  the  power 
which  he  had  originally  intended  for  thee.  Thy 
guilt  is  so  much  the  greater,  since  thou  prayedst 

Nathan's  reproof.  The  whole  narrative  is  so  beautiful,  that  \ve 
subjoin  it,  as  given  in  2  Sam.,  xii.,  1-8,  13. 

"And  the  Lord  sent  Nathan  unto  David  And  he  came  unto 
him,  and  said  unto  him,  There  were  two  men  in  one  city,  the 
one  rich,  and  the  other  poor.  The  rich  man  had  exceeding  many 
flocks  and  herds,  but  the  poor  man  had  nothmg  save  one  little 
ewe  lamb,  which  he  had  bought  and  nourished  up;  and  it  grew 
up  together  with  him,  and  with  his  children  :  it  did  eat  of  his 
own  meat,  and  drank  of  his  own  cup,  and  lay  in  his  bosom,  and 
was  unto  him  as  a  daughter.  And  there  came  a  traveler  utito 
the  rich  man,  and  he  spared  to  take  of  his  own  flock  and  of  his 
own  herd,  to  dress  for  the  wayfaring  man  that  was  come  unto 
him,  but  took  the  poor  man's  lamb,  and  dressed  it  for  the  man 
that  was  come  to  him.  And  David's  anger  was  greatly  kindled 
against  the  man ;  and  he  said  to  Nathan,  As  the  Lord  liveth,  the 
man  that  hath  done  this  thing  shall  surely  die ;  and  he  shall  re- 
store the  lamb  fourfold,  because  he  did  this  thing,  and  because  he 
had  no  pity.  And  Nathan  said  to  David,  Thou  art  the  man. 
Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  I  anointed  thee  king  over  Is- 
rael, and  I  delivered  thee  out  of  the  hand  of  Saul ;  and  I  gave 
thee  thy  master's  house,  and  thy  master's  wives  into  thy  bosom, 
and  gave  thee  the  house  of  Israel  aiid  of  Judah ;  and  ii  that  had 
been  too  little,  I  would  moreover  have  given  unto  thee  such  and 
such  things. 

"  And  David  said  unto  Nathan,  I  have  sinned  against  the 
Lord." 


that  thuLi  tiiightst  be  led  into  temptation  with- 
out having  the  power  of  resisting  it." 

At  these  words  the  angels  vanished  through 
the  ceiling ;  but  David  felt  the  whole  burden  of 
his  sin.  He  tore  the  crown  from  his  head,  and 
the  royal  purple  from  his  body,  and  wandered 
through  the  wilderness  wrapped  in  simple  wool- 
en garments,  and  pining  with  remorse,  weeping 
so  bitterly  that  his  skin  fell  from  his  face,  and 
that  the  angels  in  heaven  had  compassion  on 
him,  and  implored  for  him  the  mercy  of  Allah. 
But  it  was  not  until  he  had  spent  three  full  years 
in  penitence  and  contrition  that  he  heard  a  voice 
from  heaven,  which  announced  to  him  that  the 
All-compassionate  Allah  had  at  length  opened 
the  gate  of  mercy.  Pacified  and  strengthened 
by  these  words  of  consolation,  David  soon  re- 
covered his  physical  powers  and  his  blooming 
appearance,  so  that  on  his  return  to  Palestine  no 
one  observed  in  him  the  slightest  change. 

But,  during  the  king's  long  absence,  many  of 
the  rabble,  whom  he  had  banished,  gathered 
round  his  son  Absalom,  and  made  him  king  over 
Israel.  He  was  therefore  compelled,  as  Absa- 
lom would  not  renounce  the  throne,  to  make  war 
against  him.  But  no  engagement  took  place  ; 
for  when  the  prince  was  about  to  join  his  forces, 
Allah  commanded  the  Angel  of  Death  to  take 
him  from  his  horse  and  hang  him  on  a  tree  by 


190  THE    TUBE    A\U    CELL, 

his  long  hair,  tliat  to  all  tliture  time  rebellious 
sons  might  take  warning  by  his  fate.  Absalom 
remained  hanging  there  until  one  of  David's 
chieftains  passed  by  and  slew  him  with  the 
sword.  But,  although  David  soon  came  to  be 
esteemed  and  beloved  by  his  people  as  before, 
yet,  mindful  of  what  had  taken  place  with  the 
two  angels,  he  ventured  not  again  to  execute 
judgment.  He  had  already  nominated  a  kadhi, 
who  was  to  adjust  in  his  stead  all  disputes  that 
might  arise,  when  the  angel  Gabriel  brought  him 
an  iron  tube  with  a  bell,  and  said,  "  Allah  has 
beheld  thy  diffidence  with  pleasure,  and  there- 
fore sends  thee  this  tube  and  bell,  by  means  of 
which  it  will  be  easy  for  thee  to  maintain  the 
law  in  Israel,  and  never  to  pronounce  an  unjust 
sentence.  Suspend  this  tube  in  thy  hall  of  judg- 
ment, and  hang  the  bell  in  the  midst  thereof: 
place  the  accuser  on  one  side  of  it,  and  the  ac- 
cused on  the  other,  and  always  pronounce  judg- 
ment in  favor  of  him  who,  on  touching  the  tube, 
elicits  a  sound  from  the  bell."  David  was  greatly 
delighted  at  this  gift,  by  means  of  which  he  who 
was  in  the  right  was  sure  to  triumph,  so  that 
soon  no  one  dared  to  commit  any  injustice,  since 
he  was  certain  to  be  detected  by  the  bell. 

One  day,  however,  there  came  two  men  be- 
fore the  judgment  seat,  one  of  whom  maintained 
that  he  had  given  a  pearl  into  the  keeping  of  the 


THE    TKIBUNAL.  191 

Other,  who  now  refused  to  restore  it.  The  de- 
fendant, on  the  other  hand,  swore  that  he  had 
ah'eady  given  it  back.  As  usual,  David  com- 
pelled them  both,  one  after  the  other,  to  touch 
the  tube ;  but  the  bell  uttered  no  sound,  so  that 
he  did  not  know  which  of  the  two  spoke  truth, 
and  was  inclined  to  doubt  the  farther  virtue  of 
the  bell.  But  when  he  had  repeatedly  directed 
both  to  touch  the  tube,  he  observed  that  as  often 
as  the  accused  was  to  pass  the  ordeal,  he  gave 
his  staff  to  be  holden  by  his  antagonist.  David 
now  took  the  staff  in  his  own  hand,  and  sent  the 
accused  once  more  to  touch  the  tube,  when  in- 
stantly the  bell  began  to  ring  aloud.  David  then 
caused  the  staff  to  be  inspected,  and  behold,  it 
was  hollow,  and  the  pearl  in  question  was  con- 
cealed within  it.  But  on  account  of  his  thus 
doubting  the  value  of  the  tube  which  Allah  had 
given  him,  it  was  again  removed  to  heaven,  so 
that  David  frequently  erred  in  his  decisions, 
until  Solomon,  whom  his  wife  Saja,  the  daughter 
of  Josu,  had  borne  him,  aided  him  with  his  coun- 
sel. In  him  David  placed  implicit  confidence, 
and  was  guided  by  him  in  the  most  difficult 
questions,  for  he  had  heard  in  the  night  of  his 
birth  the  angel  Gabriel  exclaim,  "Satan's  do- 
minion is  drawing  to  its  close,  for  this  night  a 
child  is  born,  to  whom  Iblis  and  all  his  hosts,  to- 
gether with  all  his  descendants,  shall  be  subject. 


192  SuLuMuN. 

The  earth,  air,  and  water,  with  all  the  creatures 
that  live  therein,  shall  be  his  servants :  he  shall 
be  gifted  with  nine  tenths  of  all  the  wisdom  and 
knowledge  which  Allah  has  granted  unto  man- 
kind, and  understand  not  only  all  the  languages 
of  men,  but  those  also  of  beasts  and  of  birds." 

One  day — Solomon  was  then  scarcely  thir- 
teen years  of  age — there  appeared  two  men  be- 
fore the  tribunal,  the  novelty  of  whose  case  ex- 
cited the  astonishment  of  all  present,  and  even 
greatly  confounded  David.  The  accuser  had 
bought  some  property  of  the  other,  and  in  clear- 
ing out  a  cellar,  had  found  a  treasure.  He  now 
demanded  that  the  accused  should  give  up  the 
treasure,  since  he  had  bought  the  property  with- 
out it ;  while  the  other  maintained  that  the  ac- 
cuser possessed  no  right  to  the  treasure,  since 
he  had  known  nothing  of  it,  and  had  sold  the 
property  with  all  that  it  contained.  After  long 
meditation,  David  adjudged  that  the  treasure 
should  be  divided  between  them.  But  Solomon 
inquired  of  the  accuser  whether  he  had  a  son, 
and  when  he  replied  that  he  had  a  son,  he  in- 
quired of  the  other  if  he  had  a  daughter,  and 
he  also  answering  in  the  affirmative,  Solomon 
said,  "  If  you  will  adjust  your  strife  so  as  not  to 
do  injustice  one  to  the  other,  unite  your  children 
in  marriage,  and  give  them  this  treasure  as  their 
dowry." 


DEcrsioNs.  193 

On  another  occasion,  there  came  a  husband- 
man and  accused  a  shepherd  whose  flock  had 
pastured  on  the  grain  of  his  field.  David  sen- 
tenced the  shepherd  to  give  part  of  his  flock  in 
restitution  to  the  husbandman  ;  but  Solomon  dis- 
approved of  this  judgment,  and  said,  "Let  the 
shepherd  give  up  to  the  husbandman  the  use  of 
his  flock,  their  work,  their  milk,  and  their  young 
ones,  until  the  field  shall  be  restored  to  the  con- 
dition in  which  it  was  at  the  time  of  the  flock's 
breaking  in,  when  the  sheep  shall  once  more 
return  to  their  owner." 

David,  however,  one  day  observed  that  the 
high  tribunal  over  which  he  presided  beheld  with 
displeasure  the  interference  of  Solomon  in  their 
transactions,  although  they  were  obliged  to  con- 
fess that  his  views  were  always  better  than  their 
own.  The  king  therefore  demanded  of  them  to 
examine  Solomon,  in  the  face  of  all  the  great  and 
noble  men  of  his  kingdom,  in  all  the  doctrines 
and  laws  of  Moses.  "  If  you  have  satisfied  your- 
selves," he  added,  "that  my  son  knows  these 
perfectly,  and  consequently  never  pronounces 
an  unjust  judgment,  you  must  not  slight  him  by 
reason  of  his  youth,  if  his  views  regarding  the 
application  of  the  law  often  diflfer  from  mine  and 
yours.  Allah  bestows  wisdom  on  whomsoever 
he  pleaseth." 

The  lawvers  were  indeed  persuaded  of  Solo- 
13        '  Pv 


194        THE  EXAMINERS  EXAMINED. 

mon's  erudition  ;  nevertheless,  hoping  to  con- 
found him  by  all  manner  of  subtle  questions, 
and  thus  to  increase  their  own  importance,  they 
accepted  David's  proposal,  and  made  arrange- 
ments for  a  public  examination.  But  their  ex- 
pectations w^ere  disappointed ;  for,  before  the 
last  word  of  any  question  put  to  Solomon  was" 
yet  pronounced,  he  had  already  given  a  striking 
answer,  so. that  all  present  firmly  believed  that 
the  whole  matter  had  been  arranged  beforehand 
with  his  judges,  and  that  this  examination  was 
instituted  by  David  merely  to  recommend  Solo- 
mon as  his  worthy  successor  to  the  throne.  But 
Solomon  at  once  effaced  this  suspicion,  when, 
at  the  close  of  this  examination  he  arose,  and 
said  to  his  judges,  "  You  have  exhausted  your- 
selves in  subtleties  in  the  hope  of  manifesting 
your  superiority  over  me  before  this  great  as- 
sembly ;  permit  me  now,  also,  to  put  to  you  a 
very  few  simple  questions,  the  solution  of  which 
needs  no  manner  of  study,  but  only  a  little  in- 
tellect and  understanding.  Tell  me  what  is 
Every  thing,  and  what  is  Nothing.  Who  is 
Something,  and  who  is  less  than  Nothing?" 
Solomon  waited  long ;  and  when  the  judge 
whom  he  had  addressed  was  not  able  to  answer, 
he  said,  "  Allah,  the  Creator,  is  Every  thing,  but 
the  world,  the  creature,  is  Nothing.  The  be- 
liever is  Something,  but  the  hypocrite  is  less 


THE    EXAMINERS    EXAMINED.  195 

than  Nothing."  Turning  to  another,  Solomon 
inquired,  "  Which  are  the  most  in  number,  and 
which  the  fewest  ?  What  is  sweetest,  and  what 
most  bitter  ?"  but  as  the  second  judge  also  was 
unable  to  find  a  proper  answer  to  these  ques- 
tions, Solomon  said,  "  The  most  numerous  are 
the  doubters,  and  they  who  possess  a  perfect 
assurance  of  faith  are  the  fewest  in  number. 
The  sweetest  is  the  possession  of  a  virtuous 
wife,  excellent  children,  and  a  respectable  com- 
petency ;  but  a  wicked  wife,  undutiful  children, 
and  poverty  are  the  most  bitter."  Finally,  Sol- 
omon put  the  following  questions  to  a  third 
judge:  "Which  is  the  vilest,  and  which  the 
most  beautiful?  What  the  most  certain,  and 
what  the  least  so?"  But  these  questions  also 
remained  unanswered,  until  Solomon  said,  "  The 
vilest  thing  is  when  a  believer  apostatizes,  and 
the  most  beautiful  when  a  sinner  repents.  The 
most  certain  thing  is  Death  and  the  Last  Judg- 
ment, and  the  most  uncertain,  Life  and  the  Fate 
of  the  Soul  after  the  resurrection.  You  per- 
ceive," he  then  continued,  "  it  is  not  the  oldest 
and  most  learned  that  are  always  the  wisest. 
True  wisdom  is  neither  of  years  nor  of  learned 
books,  but  only  of  Allah,  the  All-wise." 

Solomon  excited  by  his  words  the  greatest 
astonishment  in  all  that  were  present ;  and  the 
heads  of  the  people  exclaimed  with  one  voice, 


196  David's  last  wish. 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  who  has  given  to  our 
king  a  son  who  in  wisdom  surpasses  all  the  men 
of  his  time,  and  who  is  worthy  one  day  to  sit  on 
the  throne  of  his  father  !" 

David,  in  like  manner,  thanked  Allah  for  the 
grace  which  he  had  shown  to  him  in  Solomon, 
and  now  only  desired,  before  his  death,  to  meet 
with  his  future  companion  in  Paradise. 

"  Thy  request  is  granted  !"  cried  a  voice  from 
heaven  ;  "  but  thou  must  go  and  seek  him  alone; 
and,  in  order  to  reach  his  presence,  thou  must 
renounce  thy  earthly  pomp,  and  wander  as  a 
poor  pilgrim  through  the  world." 

The  next  day  David  nominated  Solomon  as  his 
representative,  laid  aside  his  royal  robes,  wrap- 
ped himself  round  with  a  simple  woolen  gar- 
ment, put  on  his  sandals,  took  a  staff  in  his  hand, 
and  left  his  palace.  He  now  wandered  from 
city  to  city,  and  from  village  to  village,  inquiring 
every  where  for  such  of  the  inhabitants  as  were 
most  distinguished  for  piety,  and  endeavoring  to 
make  their  acquaintance  ;  but  for  many  weeks  he 
found  no  one  whom  he  had  reason  to  consider 
as  his  destined  companion  in  the  life  to  come.  , 

One  day,  on  reaching  a  village  on  the  shores 
of  the  Mediterranean  Ocean,  there  arrived  at 
the  same  time  with  him  a  poorly-clad  aged  man, 
who  was  carrying  a  heavy  burden  of  wood  on 
his  head.     The  appearance  of  the  hoary  man 


THE    HERMIT.  197 

was  SO  venerable,  that  David  followed  him  to 
see  where  he  lived.  But  he  entered  into  no 
house  at  all,  and  sold  his  wood  to  a  merchant 
who  stood  at  the  door  of  his  warehouse,  then 
gave  to  a  poor  man  who  begged  him  for  alms 
the  half  of  the  little  money  which  he  had  earned, 
bought  with  the  rest  a  small  loaf  of  bread,  of 
which  also  he  gave  a  large  portion  to  a  blind 
woman,  who  implored  the  compassion  of  the 
faithful,  and  then  returned  on  his  way  to  the 
mountain  from  whence  he  had  come.  "  This 
man,"  thought  David,  "  might  well  be  my  com- 
panion in  Paradise ;  for  his  venerable  appear- 
ance, and  his  actions  which  I  have  just  witness- 
ed, testify  to  a  rare  piety.  I  must  therefore 
seek  to  become  better  acquainted  with  him." 
He  then  followed  the  aged  man  at  some  dis- 
tance, until,  after  a  march  of  several  hours  over 
steep  mountains,  crossed  by  deep  ravines,  the 
latter  entered  into  a  cave,  which  admitted  the 
light  of  heaven  through  a  crevice  of  the  rock. 
David  remained  standing  at  the  entrance  of  the 
cave,  and  heard  how  the  hermit  prayed  fervent- 
ly, and  then  read  the  Law  and  the  psalms,  until 
the  sun  had  set.  He  then  lighted  a  lamp,  and 
pronounced  the  evening  prayer,  drew  from  his 
bag  the  bread  which  he  had  bought,  and  con- 
sumed about  half  thereof 

David,  who  had  hitherto  not  ventured  to  dis- 
R2 


198  THE    COMPANION    IN    PARADISE. 

turb  the  man  in  his  devotions,  now  stepped  into 
the  cave  and  greeted  him. 

"  Who  art  thou  ?"  said  the  other,  after  having 
returned  the  salutation ;  "  for,  save  the  God- 
fearing  Mata  Ibn  Juhanna,  King  David's  future 
companion  in  Paradise,  I  never  saw  any  human 
being  in  these  regions." 

David  gave  his  name,  and  begged  for  farther 
particulars  respecting  Mata. 

But  the  hermit  replied,  "  I  am  not  permitted 
to  point  out  to  thee  his  dwelling;  but  if  thou 
searchest  this  mountain  with  attention,  it  can  not 
escape  thee." 

David  now  wandered  up  and  down  for  a  long 
time  without  finding  any  traces  of  Mata.  He 
was  on  the  point  of  returning  to  the  hermit,  in 
hopes  of  obtaining  better  directions,  when,  on  an 
eminence,  in  the  midst  of  the  rocky  ground,  he 
discovered  a  spot  which  was  quite  moist  and 
soft.  "  How  singular,"  thought  he,  "  that  just 
here,  on  this  pinnacle  of  a  mountain,  the  ground 
should  thus  be  moistened  !  Surely  there  can  be 
no  fountain  here  !"  While  he  was  thus  standing 
absorbed  in  thought  respecting  this  remarkable 
phenomenon,  there  descended  on  the  other  side 
of  the  mountain  a  man  who  was  more  like  an 
angel  than  a  human  being ;  his  looks  were  cast 
down  to  the  earth,  so  that  he  did  not  observe 
David  ;  but  on  the  moistened  spot  he  stood  still, 


DEATH    OF    DAVID.  199 

and  prayed  with  such  fervency  that  his  tears 
gushed  like  streams  from  his  eyes.  David  now 
understood  how  it  came  to  pass  that  the  earth 
was  so  soaked,  and  thought,  "  A  man  who  thus 
worships  his  God  may  well  be  my  companion  in 
Paradise."  But  he  presumed  not  to  address  him 
till  he  heard  how,  among  other  things,  he  pray- 
ed, "  My  God,  pardon  the  sin  of  King  David, 
and  preserve  him  from  farther  transgression ! 
Be  merciful  to  him  for  my  sake,  since  thou  hast 
destined  me  to  be  his  companion  in  Paradise." 

David  now  went  toward  him,  but  on  reach- 
ing his  presence  he  was  dead. 

He  dug  up  the  soft  earth  with  his  staff,  wash- 
ed him  with  the  water  that  remained  in  his  bot- 
tle, buried  him,  and  pronounced  over  him  the 
prayer  of  death.  He  then  returned  to  his  capi- 
tal, and  found  in  his  harem  the  Angel  of  Death, 
who  received  him  with  the  words,  "  Allah  has 
granted  unto  thee  thy  request,  but  now  thy  life 
is  ended." 

"  God's  will  be  done  !"  replied  David,  and  fell 
lifeless  to  the  earth. 

Gabriel  then  descended  to  comfort  Solomon, 
and  to  bring  him  a  heavenly  robe,  in  which  h^ 
was  to  wrap  his  father.  All  Israel  followed  his 
remains  to  the  entrance  of  the  cave  where  Abra- 
ham lies  buried. 


SOLOMON  AND  THE  QUEEN  OF  SABA. 

After  Solomon  had  paid  the  last  honors  to 
his  father,  he  was  resting  in  a  valley  between 
Hebron  and  Jerusalem,  when  suddenly  he  swoon- 
ed away.  On  reviving,  there  appeared  to  him 
eight  angels,  each  of  whom  had  immeasurable 
wings  of  every  color  and  form,  and  thrice  they 
bowed  down  to  him.  "  Who  are  you  ?"  de- 
manded Solomon,  while  his  eyes  were  yet  half 
closed.  They  replied,  "  We  are  the  angels  set 
over  the  eight  winds.  Allah,  our  Ci'eator  and 
thine,  sends  us  to  swear  fealty,  and  to  surrender 
to  thee  the  power  over  us  and  the  eight  winds 
which  are  at  our  command.  According  to  thy 
pleasure  and  designs,  they  shall  either  be  tem- 
pestuous or  gentle,  and  shall  blow  from  that 
quarter  to  which  thou  shalt  turn  thy  back  ;  and 
at  thy  demand  they  shall  rise  out  of  the  earth  to 
bear  thee  up,  and  to  raise  thee  above  the  loftiest 
mountains."  The  most  exalted  of  the  eight  an- 
gels then  presented  to  him  a  jewel  with  this 
inscription :  "  To  Allah  belong  greatness  and 
might :"  and  said,  "  If  thou  hast  need  of  us,  raise 
this  stone  toward  heaven,  and  w^e  shall  appear 
to  serve  thee."  As  soon  as  these  angels  had  left 
him,  there  came  four  others,  differing  from  each 


THE    EXTENT    OF    :30L0M0N  S    DOMINION.      201 

other  in  form  and  name.  One  of  them  resem- 
bled an  immense  whale  ;  the  other,  an  eagle ; 
the  third,  a  lion ;  and  the  fourth,  a  serpent. 
"We  are  the  lords  of  all  creatures  living  in 
earth  and  water,"  they  said,  bowing  profoundly 
to  Solomon,  "  and  appear  before  thee  at  the 
command  of  our  Lord,  to  do  fealty  unto  thee. 
Dispose  of  us  at  thy  pleasure.  We  grant  to  thee 
and  to  thy  friends  all  the  good  and  pleasant 
things  with  v/hich  the  Creator  has  endowed  us, 
but  use  all  the  noxious  that  are  in  our  power 
against  thy  foes."  The  angel  who  represented 
the  kingdom  of  birds  then  gave  him  a  jewel  with 
the  inscription,  "  All  created  things  praise  the 
Lord  ;"  and  said,  "  By  virtue  of  this  stone,  which 
thou  needest  only  to  raise  above  thy  head,  thou 
mayest  call  us  at  any  moment,  and  impart  to  us 
thy  commands."  Solomon  did  so  instantly,  and 
commanded  them  to  bring  a  pair  of  every  kind 
of  animal  that  live  in  the  water,  the  earth,  and 
the  air,  and  to  present  them  to  him.  The  angels 
departed  quick  as  lightning,  and  in  the  twinkhng 
of  an  eye  there  were  standing  before  him  every 
imaginable  creature,  from  the  largest  elephant 
down  to  the  smallest  worm  ;  also  all  kinds  of 
fish  and  birds.  Solomon  caused  each  of  them 
to  describe  its  whole  manner  of  life  ;  he  listened 
to  their  complaints,  and  abolished  many  of  their 
abuses.    But  he  conversed  longest  with  the  birds, 


202       'J'llE    EXTENT    OF    riOLO:siO.\'ri    DOMINION. 

both  on  account  of  their  dehcious  language, 
which  he  knew  as  well  as  his  own,  as  also  for 
the  beautiful  proverbs  that  are  current  among 
them.  The  song  of  the  peacock,  translated  into 
human  language,  means,  "  As  thou  judgest,  so 
shalt  thou  be  judged."  The  song  of  the  night- 
ingale signifies,  "  Contentment  is  the  greatest 
happiness."  The  turtle-dove  sings,  "  It  were 
better  for  many  a  creature  had  it  never  been 
born."  The  hoopoo,  "  He  that  shows  no  mercy- 
shall  not  obtain  mercy."  The  bird  syrdak, 
"  Turn  to  Allah,  O  ye  sinners."  The  swallow, 
"  Do  good,  for  you  shall  be  rewarded  hereafter." 
The  pelican,  "  Blessed  be  Allah  in  heaven  and 
earth  !"  The  dove, "  All  things  pass  away  ;  Al- 
lah alone  is  eternal."  The  kata,  "  Whosoever 
can  keep  silence  goes  through  life  most  secure- 
ly." The  engle,  "  Let  our  life  be  ever  so  long, 
yet  it  must  end  in  death."  The  raven,  "  The 
farther  from  mankind,  the  pleasanter."  The 
cock,  "  Ye  thoughtless  men,  remember  your 
Creator." 

Solomon  chose  the  cock  and  the  hoopoo  for 
his  constant  attendants.  The  one,  on  account 
of  his  monitory  sentence,  and  the  other,  inas- 
much as  his  eyes,  piercing  as  they  do  through 
the  earth  as  if  it  were  crystal,  enabled  him  during 
the  travels  of  the  king  to  point  out  the  places 
where  fountains  of  water  were  hid,  so  that  watei 


THE    EXTENT    OF    SOLOMOn's    DOMINION.     203 

never  failed  Solomon,  either  to  quench  his  thirst, 
or  to  perform  the  prescribed  ablutions  before 
prayer.  But,  after  having  stroked  the  heads  of 
the  doves,  he  commanded  them  to  appoint  unto 
their  young  the  temple  which  he  was  about  to 
erect  as  their  habitation.  (This  pigeon  pair  had, 
in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  increased  so  much, 
through  Solomon's  blessed  touch,  that  all  who 
visited  the  temple  walked  from  the  remotest 
quarter  of  the  city  under  the  shadow  of  their 
wings.) 

When  Solomon  was  again  alone,  there  ap- 
peared an  angel,  whose  upper  part  looked  like 
earth,  and  whose  lower  like  water.  He  bowed 
down  toward  the  earth,  and  said,  "  I  am  created 
by  Allah  to  manifest  his  will  both  to  the  dry  land 
and  to  the  sea  ;  but  he  has  placed  me  at  thy  dis- 
posal, and  thou  mayest  command,  through  me, 
over  earth  and  sea :  at  thy  will  the  highest  mount- 
ains shall  disappear,  and  others  rise  out  of  the 
ground  ;  rivers  and  seas  shall  dry  up,  and  fruit- 
ful countries  be  turned  into  seas  or  oceans."  He 
then  presented  to  him  before  he  vanished  a  jewel, 
with  the  inscription, "  Heaven  and  earth  are  the 
servants  of  Allah." 

Finally,  another  angel  brought  to  him  a  fourth 
jewel,  which  bore  the  inscription,  "  There  is  no 
God  but  one,  and  Mohammed  is  his  messenger." 
"By  means  of  this  stone,""  said  the  angel,  "thou 


204       THE    EXTENT    UF    SOLOMON's    DOMINION. 

obtainest  the  dominion  over  the  kingdom  of  spir- 
its, which  is  much  greater  than  that  of  man  and 
beasts,  and  fills  up  the  whole  space  between  the 
earth  and  heaven.  Part  of  these  spirits,"  con- 
tinued the  angel,  '•  believe  in  the  only  God,  and 
pray  to  him  ;  but  others  are  unbelieving.  Some 
adore  the  fire  ;  others  the  sun  ;  others,  again,  the 
different  stars  ;  and  many  even  the  water.  The 
first  continually  hover  round  the  pious,  to  pre- 
serve them  from  evil  and  sin  ;  but  the  latter  seek 
in  every  possible  manner  to  torment  and  to  se- 
duce them,  which  they  do  the  more  easily,  since 
they  render  themselves  invisible,  or  assume  any 
form  they  please."  Solomon  desired  to  see  the 
genii  in  their  original  form.  The  angel  rushed 
like  a  column  of  fire  through  the  air,  and  soon 
returned  w^th  a  host  of  demons  and  genii,  whose 
appalling  appearance  filled  Solomon,  spite  of  his 
dominion  over  them,  with  an  inward  shudder. 
He  had  no  idea  that  there  were  such  misshapen 
and  frightful  beings  in  the  world.  He  saw  hu- 
man heads  on  the  necks  of  horses,  with  asses* 
feet ;  the  wings  of  eagles  on  the  dromedary's 
back ;  and  the  horns  of  the  gazelle  on  the  head 
of  the  peacock.  Astonished  at  this  singular 
union,  he  prayed  the  angel  to  explain  it  to  him, 
since  Djan,  from  whom  all  the  genii  were  de- 
scended, had  only  a  simple  form.  "  This  is  the 
consequence,"  replied  the  angel, "  of  their  wicked 


MAGIC    RING.  205 

lives  and  their  shameless  intercourse  with  men, 
beasts,  and  birds ;  for  their  desires  know  no 
bounds,  and  the  more  they  multiply  the  more 
they  degenerate." 

When  Solomon  returned  home,  he  command- 
ed the  four  jewels  which  the  angels  had  given  him 
to  be  set  in  a  signet  ring,  in  order  that  he  might 
be  able  at  any  moment  to  rule  over  spirits  and 
animals,  and  over  wind  and  water.  His  first 
care  was  to  subdue  the  demons  and  genii.  He 
caused  them  all  to  come  before  him  save  the 
mighty  Sachr,  who  kept  himself  concealed  in  an 
unknown  island  of  the  ocean,  and  Ibhs,  the  mas- 
ter of  all  evil  spirits,  to  whom  God  had  promised 
the  most  perfect  independence  till  the  day  of 
judgment.  When  they  were  assembled,  he 
stamped  his  signet  ring  on  each  of  their  necks, 
to  mark  them  as  his  slaves.  He  obliged  the 
male  genii  to  erect  various  public  buildings ; 
among  others,  also  a  temple  after  the  plan  of  that 
at  Mecca,  which  he  had  once  seen  during  his 
travels  to  Arabia.  The  female  genii  he  obliged 
to  cook,  to  bake,  to  wash,  to  weave,  to  spin,  to 
carry  water,  and  to  perform  other  domestic  la- 
bors. The  stuffs  they  produced  Solomon  dis- 
tributed among  the  poor,  and  the  food  which  they 
prepared  was  placed  on  tables  of  two  leagues 
square,  for  the  daily  consumption  amounted  to 
thirtv  thousand  oxen  and  as  many  sheep,  with  a 
S 


206     THE  FEEDING  OF  ALL  CREATURES. 

great  number  of  fowls  and  fish,  of  which  he 
could  obtain  as  many  as  he  chose  by  virtue  of 
his  ring,  notwithstanding  his  remoteness  from 
the  ocean.  The  genii  and  demons  sat  at  iron 
tables,  the  poor  at  tables  of  wood,  the  chiefs  of 
the  people  and  of  the  army  at  tables  of  silver, 
but  the  learned  and  eminently  pious  at  golden 
ones,  and  the  latter  were  waited  on  by  Solomon 
himself. 

One  day,  when  all  the  spirits,  men,  beasts,  and 
birds,  had  risen,  satisfied,  from  their  various  ta- 
bles, Solomon  prayed  to  Allah  that  he  might 
permit  him  to  entertain  all  the  creatures  of  the 
earth. 

"  Thou  demandest  an  impossibility,"  replied 
Allah  ;  "  but  make  a  beginning  to-morrow  with 
the  inhabitants  of  the  sea." 

Solomon  thereupon  commanded  the  genii  to 
load  with  corn  one  hundred  thousand  camels 
and  as  many  mules,  and  to  lead  them  to  the 
sea-shore.  He  himself  followed,  and  cried, 
"  Come  hither,  ye  inhabitants  of  the  sea,  that  I 
may  satisfy  your  hunger."  Then  came  all 
kinds  of  fish  to  the  surface  of  the  sea.  Solomon 
flung  corn  unto  them  till  they  were  satisfied, 
and  dived  down  again.  On  a  sudden,  a  whale 
protruded  his  head,  resembling  a  mighty  mount- 
ain. Solomon  made  his  flying  spirits  to  pour 
one  sack  of  corn  after  the  other  into  its  jaws ; 


THE  FEEDING  OF  ALL  CREATURES.    207 

but  it  continued  its  demand  for  more,  until  not  a 
single  grain  was  left.  Then  it  bellowed  aloud, 
"  Feed  me,  Solomon,  for  I  never  suffered  so 
much  from  hunger  as  to-day." 

Solomon  inquired  of  it  "  whether  there  were 
more  fish  of  the  kind  in  the  sea." 

"  There  are  of  my  species  alone,"  replied  the 
whale,  "  seventy  thousand  kinds,  the  least  of 
which  is  so  large  that  thou  wouldst  appear  in  its 
body  like  a  grain  of  sand  in  the  wilderness." 

Solomon  threw  himself  on  the  ground,  and 
began  to  weep,  and  besought  the  Lord  to  par- 
don his  senseless  demand. 

"  My  kingdom,"  cried  Allah  to  him,  "  is  still 
greater  than  thine :  arise,  and  behold  but  one 
of  those  creatures  whose  rule  I  can  not  confide 
to  man." 

Then  the  sea  began  to  rage  and  to  storm,  as 
if  all  the  eight  winds  had  set  it  in  motion  at 
once ;  and  there  rose  up  a  sea  monster  so  huge 
that  it  could  easily  have  swallowed  seventy 
thousand  like  the  first,  which  Solomon  was  not 
able  to  satisfy,  and  cried  with  a  voice  like  the 
most  terrible  thunder,  "  Praised  be  Allah,  who 
alone  has  the  power  to  save  me  from  starva- 
tion!" 

When  Solomon  was  returning  again  to  Jeru- 
salem, he  heard  such  a  noise,  proceeding  from 
the  constant  hammering  of  the  genii,  who  were 


208  SACHR. 

occupied  with  the  building  of  the  temple,  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  were  no  longer 
able  to  converse  with  each  other.  He  therefore 
commanded  the  spirits  to  suspend  their  labors, 
and  inquired  whether  none  of  them  was  ac- 
quainted with  a  means  by  which  the  various 
metals  might  be  wrought  without  producing 
such  a  clamor.  Then  there  stepped  out  one 
from  among  them,  and  said,  "  This  is  known 
only  to  the  mighty  Sachr ;  but  he  has  hitherto 
succeeded  in  escaping  from  thy  dominion." 

"  Is,  then,  this  Sachr  utterly  inaccessible  ?" 
inquired  Solomon. 

"  Sachr,"  replied  the  genius, "  is  stronger  than 
all  of  us  put  together,  and  is  as  much  our  supe- 
rior in  swiftness  as  in  power.  Still,  I  know  that 
he  drinks  from  a  fountain  in  the  province  of 
Hidjr  once  in  every  month.  Perhaps  thou 
mayest  succeed,  O  wise  king !  to  subdue  him 
there  to  thy  scepter." 

Solomon  commanded  forthwith  a  division  of 
his  swift-flying  genii  to  empty  the  fountain,  and 
to  fill  it  with  intoxicating  liquor.  Some  of  them 
he  then  ordered  to  linger  in  its  vicinity  until 
they  should  see  Sachr  approaching,  and  then 
instantly  to  return  and  bring  him  word.  A  few 
weeks  afterward,  when  Solomon  was  standing 
on  the  terrace  of  his  palace,  he  beheld  a  genius 
flying  from  the  direction  of  Hidjr  swifter  than 


THE    MOTHER    BIRD.  209 

the  wind.  The  king  inquired  of  him  if  he 
brought  news  respecting  Sachr. 

"  Sachr  is  lying  overcome  with  wine  at  the 
brink  of  the  fountain  "  replied  the  genius,  "  and 
we  have  bound  him  with  chains  as  massive  as 
the  pillars  of  thy  temple  ;  but  he  will  burst  them 
asunder  as  the  hair  of  a  virgin  when  he  has 
slept  off  his  wine." 

Solomon  then  mounted  hastily  the  winged 
genius,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  was  borne  to 
the  fountain.  It  was  high  time,  for  Sachr  had 
already  opened  his  eyes  again ;  but  his  hands 
and  feet  were  still  chained,  so  that  Solomon  set 
the  signet  on  his  neck  without  any  hinderance. 
Sachr  uttered  such  a  cry  of  woe  that  the  whole 
earth  quaked  ;  but  Solomon  said  to  him,  "  Fear 
not,  mighty  genius!  f  will  restore  thee  to  lib- 
erty as  soon  as  thou  shalt  indicate  the  means 
whereby  I  may  work  the  hardest  metals  without 
noise." 

"  I  myself  know  of  no  such,"  replied  Sachr ; 
"  but  the  raven  will  best  be  able  to  advise  thee. 
Take  only  the  eggs  from  a  raven's  nest,  and 
cover  them  with  a  crystal  bowl,  and  thou  shalt 
see  how  the  mother-bird  shall  cut  it  through." 

Solomon  followed  Sachr's  advice.     A  raven 

came  and  flew  about  the  bowl ;  but,  finding  that 

she  could  not  get  access  to  the  eggs,  she  flew 

avvav,  and  a   few  hours  afterward  reappeared 

14  S  2 


210  THE    SAMUK    sJTONE. 

"with  a  stone  in  her  beak,  called  Samur,  which 
had  no  sooner  touched  the  bowl  than  it  fell  in 
two  halves. 

"  Whence  hast  thou  this  stone  ?"  inquired 
Solomon  of  the  raven. 

"  From  a  mountain  in  the  distant  west,"  re- 
plied the  raven. 

Solomon  then  commanded  some  of  the  genii 
to  follow  the  raven  to  the  mountain,  and  to  pro- 
cure more  of  these  stones  ;  but  Sachr  he  set 
free  again,  according  to  his  promise.  When 
the  chains  were  taken  from  him,  he  shouted 
with  exultation ;  but  his  joy  sounded  in  Solo- 
mon's ear  like  the  laughter  of  scorn.  As  soon 
as  the  spirits  returned  with  the  Samur  stones, 
he  caused  himself  to  be  carried  back  to  Jerusa- 
lem by  one  of  them,  and  divided  the  stones 
among  the  genii,  who  could  now  continue  their 
labors  without  making  the  slightest  noise. 

Solomon  then  constructed  a  palace  for  him- 
self, with  a  profusion  of  gold,  silver,  and  precious 
stones,  the  like  of  which  no  king  had  ever  pos- 
sessed before  him.  Many  of  its  halls  had  crys- 
tal floors  and  ceilings,  and  he  erected  a  throne 
of  sandal-wood,  covered  with  gold,  and  em- 
bossed with  the  most  costly  jewels.  While  the 
building  of  his  palace  was  in  progress,  he  made 
a  journey  to  the  ancient  city  of  Damascus,  whose 
environs  are  reckoned  among  the  four  earthly 
Daradises. 


THE    ANTS.  211 

The  genius  on  whom  he  rode  pursued  the 
straightest  course,  and  flew  over  the  valley  of 
ants,  which  is  surrounded  by  such  lofty  cliffs, 
and  deep,  impassable  ravines,  that  no  man  had 
been  able  to  enter  it  before. 

Solomon  was  much  astonished  to  see  beneath 
him  a  host  of  ants,  which  were  as  large  as 
wolves,  and  which,  owing  to  their  gray  eyes  and 
feet,  appeared  at  a  distance  like  a  cloud. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  queen  of  the  ants, 
which  had  never  seen  a  human  being,  was  in  no 
small  trouble  on  perceiving  the  king,  and  cried 
to  her  subjects,  "  Retire  quickly  to  your  cav- 
erns !" 

But  Allah  said  to  her,  "Assemble  all  thy 
vassals,  and  do  homage  to  Solomon,  who  is  king 
of  the  whole  creation." 

Solomon,  to  whom  the  winds  had  wafted  these 
words,  then  at  a  distance  of  six  leagues,  de- 
scended to  the  queen,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
whole  valley  was  covered  with  ants  as  far  as 
his  eye  could  reach.  Solomon  then  asked  the 
queen,  who  was  standing  at  their  head,  "  Why 
fearest  thou  me,  since  thy  hosts  are  so  numerous 
that  they  could  lay  waste  the  whole  earth  ?" 

"I  fear  none  but  Allah,"  replied  the  queen; 
"  for  if  my  subjects  which  thou  now  beholdest 
were  threatened  with  danger,  seventy  times 
their  number  would  appear  at  a  single  nod  from 


212  TIJE    aUEEN    OF    THE    ANTS. 

"  Why,  then,  didst  thou  command  thy  ants  to 
retire  while  I  was  passing  above  thee  ?" 

"  Because  I  feared  lest  they  might  look  after 
thee,  and  thus  forget  their  Creator  for  a  mo- 
ment." 

"  Is  there  any  favor  that  I  may  show  thee  ere 
I  depart  ?"  inquired  Solomon. 

"I  know  of  none:  but  rather  let  me  advise 
thee  so  to  live  that  thou  mayest  not  be  ashamed 
of  thy  name,  which  signifies  '  The  Immaculate;' 
beware  also  of  ever  giving  away  thy  ring  with- 
out first  saying,  '  In  the  name  of  Allah  the  All- 
merciful.'  " 

Solomon  once  more  exclaimed,  "  Lord,  thy 
kingdom  is  greater  than  mine !"  and  took  leave 
of  the  queen  of  ants. 

On  his  return  he  commanded  the  genius  to  f\y 
in  another  direction,  so  as  not  to  disturb  the 
devotions  of  the  queen  and  her  subjects. 

On  arriving  at  the  frontiers  of  Palestine,  he 
heard  how  some  one  prayed : 

"My  God,  who  hast  chosen  Abraham  to  be 
thy  friend,  redeem  me  soon  from  this  woeful  ex- 
istt-nce !" 

Solomon  descended  to  him,  and  beheld  an 
aged  man  bowed  down  with  years,  and  trem- 
bhng  in  all  his  limbs. 

*'  Who  art  thou  ?" 

"I  am  an  Israelite  of  the  tribe  of  Judah." 


THE    SIlOOTIXi;    STAR.  213 

"  How  old  art  thou  ?" 

"  Allah  alone  knows.  I  counted  up  to  my 
three  hundredth  year,  and  since  that  time  full 
fifty  or  sixty  more  must  have  passed  away." 

"  How  camest  thou  to  so  great  an  age,  which, 
since  Abraham's  time,  no  human  being  has  at- 
tained ?" 

"  I  once  saw  a  shooting  star  in  the  night  of 
Al-Kadr,  and  expressed  the  senseless  wish  that 
I  might  meet  with  the  mightiest  prophet  before 
I  died." 

"  Thou  hast  now  reached  the  goal  of  thy  ex- 
pectations :  prepare  thyself  to  die,  for  I  am  the 
king  and  prophet  Solomon,  to  whom  Allah  has 
granted  a  power  such  as  no  mortal  before  me 
ever  possessed."  Scarcely  had  he  finished  these 
words,  when  the  Angel  of  Death  descended  in 
human  form,  and  took  the  soul  of  the  aged  man. 

"  Thou  must  have  been  quite  close  to  me, 
since  thou  camest  so  promptly,"  said  Solomon  to 
the  angel. 

"  How  great  is  thy  mistake  !  Be  it  known  to 
thee,  O  king  !  that  I  stand  on  the  shoulders  of  an 
angel  whose  head  reaches  ten  thousand  years 
beyond  the  seventh  heaven,  whose  feet  are  five 
hundred  years  below  the  earth,  and  who,  with- 
al, is  so  powerful,  that  if  Allah  permitted  it,  he 
could  swallow  the  earth,  and  alJ  that  it  contains, 
without  the  slightest  effort. 


214  THE    DEAD. 

"  He  it  is  who  points  out  to  me  when,  where, 
and  how  I  must  take  a  soul.  His  gaze  is  fixed 
on  the  tree  Sidrat  Almuntaha,  which  bears  as 
many  leaves  inscribed  with  names  as  there  are 
men  living  on  the  earth. 

"  At  each  birth  a  new  leaf,  bearing  the  name 
of  the  newly  born,  bursts  forth  ;  and  when  any 
one  has  reached  the  end  of  his  life,  his  leaf  with- 
ers and  falls  off,  and  at  the  same  instant  I  am 
with  him  to  receive  his  soul." 

"  How  dost  thou  proceed  in  this  matter,  and 
whither  takest  thou  the  souls  at  death  ?" 

"  As  often  as  a  believer  dies,  Gabriel  attends 
me,  and  wraps  his  soul  in  a  green  silken  sheet, 
and  then  breathes  it  into  a  green  bird,  which 
feeds  in  Paradise  until  the  day  of  the  resurrec- 
tion. But  the  soul  of  the  sinner  1  take  alone,  and 
having  wrapped  it  in  a  coarse,  pitch-covered 
woolen  cloth,  carry  it  to  the  gates  of  hell,  where 
it  wanders  among  abominable  vapors  until  the 
last  day." 

Solomon  thanked  the  angel  for  his  informa- 
tion, and  besought  him,  when  he  should  one  day 
come  to  take  his  soul,  to  conceal  his  death  from 
all  men  and  spirits. 

He  then  washed  the  body  of  the  deceased, 
buried  him,  and  having  prayed  for  his  soul,  beg- 
ged for  a  mitigation  of  his  bodily  pains  at  the 


THR    CARPET.  215 

trial  he  was  to  undergo  before  the  angels  Ankir 
and  Munkir.* 

This  journey  had  fatigued  Solomon  so  much, 
that  he  ordered  the  genii,  on  his  return  to  Jeru- 
salem, to  weave  strong  silken  carpets,  which 
might  contain  him  and  his  followers,  together 
with  all  the  requisite  utensils  and  equipages  for 
traveling.  Whenever  he  desired  thereafter  to 
make  a  journey,  he  caused  one  of  these  carpets, 
of  a  larger  or  smaller  size,  according  to  the  num- 
ber of  his  attendants,  to  be  spread  out  before  the 
city,  and  as  soon  as  all  that  he  required  was 
placed  upon  it,  he  gave  a  signal  to  the  eight 
winds  to  raise  it  up.  He  then  seated  himself  on 
his  throne,  and  guided  them  into  whatever  direc- 
tion he  pleased,  even  as  a  man  guides  his  horses 
with  bit  and  reins. 

One  night  Abraham'  appeared  to  him  in  a 
dream,  and  said,  "  Allah  has  distinguished  thee 
above  all  other  men  by  thy  wisdom  and  powder. 
He  has  subjected  to  thy  rule  the  genii,  who  are 
erecting  a  temple  at  thy  command,  the  like  of 
which  the  earth  has  never  borne  before;  and 
thou  ridest  on  the  winds  as  I  once  rode  on  Borak, 

*  These  two  angels  make  inquiry  of  the  dead  concerning  his 
God  and  his  faith,  and  torment  him  if  he  be  not  able  to  answer 
properly. 

Similar  things  are  said  in  the  "  Chibut  hakebar"  (knocking  at 
the  tomb)  of  the  Rabbis.— Compare  Maracciiis,  Prodrom.,  (f  iii., 
p  90 


216  Solomon's  pilgrimage. 

who  shall  dwell  in  Paradise  until  the  birth  of 
Mohammed.  Show  thyself  grateful,  therefore, 
unto  the  o.nl y  God,  and,  taking  advantage  of  the, 
ease  with  which  thou  canst  travel  from  place  to 
place,  visit  the  cities  of  Jathrib,*  where  the 
greatest  of  prophets  shall  one  day  find  shelter 
and  protection,  and  of  Mecca,  the  place  of  his 
birth,  where  now  the  holy  temple  stands  which 
I  and  my  son  Ismael  (peace  be  on  him  !)  rebuilt 
after  the  flood." 

The  next  morning,  Solomon  proclaimed  that 
he  would  undertake  a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  and 
that  each  and  every  Israelite  would  be  per- 
mitted to  accompany  him.  There  immediately 
applied  so  many  pilgrims,  that  Solomon  was 
obliged  to  have  a  new  carpet  woven  by  the  spir- 
its, two  leagues  in  length  and  two  in  breadth. 

The  empty  space  which  remained  he  filled 
with  camels,  oxen,  and  smaller  cattle,  which  he 
designed  to  sacrifice  at  Mecca,  and  to  divide 
among  the  poor. 

For  himself  he  had  a  throne  erected,  which 
was  so  studded  with  brilliant  jewels  that  no  one 
could  raise  his  eyes  to  him.  The  men  of  dis- 
tinguished piety  occupied  golden  seats  near  the 
throne :  the  learned  were  seated  on  silver,  and 
part  of  the  common  people  on  wood.  The  ge- 
nii and  demons  were  commanded  to  fly  before 

*  The  ancient  name  of  Medina,  where  Mohammed  died. 


MEDINA    AND    MECCA,  217 

him,  for  he  trusted  them  so  little  that  he  desired 
to  have  them  constantly  in  his  presence,  and 
therefore  always  drank  out  of  crystal  cups  so  as 
never  to  lose  sight  of  them,  even  when  he  was 
compelled  to  satisfy  his  thirst.  But  the  birds  he 
directed  to  fly  above  the  carpet  in  close  array, 
to  protect  the  travelers  from  the  sun. 

When  the  arrangements  were  complete,  and 
men,  spirits,  birds,  and  beasts  were  assembled, 
he  commanded  the  eight  winds  to  raise  up  the 
carpet,  with  all  that  it  contained,  and  to  carry  it 
to  Medina.  In  the  vicinity  of  that  city,  he  made 
a  signal  to  the  birds  to  lower  their  wings,  where- 
upon the  winds  gradually  abated  until  the  carpet 
rested  on  the  earth. 

But  no  one  was  permitted  to  leave  the  carpet, 
for  Medina  was  then  inhabited  by  worshipers 
of  idols,  with  whom  the  king  would  not  suffer 
his  subjects  to  come  in  contact. 

Solomon  w^ent  unattended  to  the  spot  where,  in 
later  times,  Mohammed  erected  his  first  mosque 
— it  was  then  a  burial-ground — performed  his 
midday  devotions,  and  then  returned  to  the  car- 
pet. The  birds,  at  his  nod,  spread  their  wings, 
the  winds  bore  up  the  carpet,  and  swept  on  with 
it  to  Mecca.  This  city  was  then  governed  by 
the  Djorhamides,  who  had  migrated  there  from 
the  Southern  Arabia,  and  were  at  that  time  wor- 
shipers of  the  only  God,  keeping  the  Kaaba  as 
T 


218  ^    THE    HOOPOO. 

pure  from  idolatry  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Abra- 
ham and  of  Ismael.  Solomon  therefore  entered 
it,  with  all  his  attendants,  performed  the  cere- 
monies obligatory  on  pilgrims,  and  when  he  had^ 
slain  the  victims  which  he  brought  with  him  from 
Jerusalem,  he  pronounced  in  the  Kaaba  a  long 
discourse,  in  which  he  predicted  the  future  birth 
of  Mohammed,  and  exhorted  all  his  hearers  to 
enforce  faith  in  him  upon  their  children  and  de- 
scendants. 

After  a  stay  of  three  days,  King  Solomon  re- 
solved to  return  again  to  Jerusalem.  But  when 
the  birds  had  unfolded  their  wings,  and  the  car- 
pet was  already  in  motion,  he  suddenly  discov- 
ered a  ray  of  light  striking  upon  it,  whence  he 
concluded  that  one  of  his  birds  had  left  its  post. 

He  therefore  summoned  the  eagle,  and  direct- 
ed him  to  call  over  the  names  of  all  the  birds, 
and  to  report  which  was  absent.  The  eagle 
obeyed,  and  soon  came  back  with  the  answer 
that  the  hoopoo  was  wanting. 

The  king  grew  enraged  ;  the  more  so,  because 
he  needed  the  hoopoo  during  the  journey,  since 
no  other  bird  possessed  its  powers  to  descry  the 
hidden  fountains  of  the  desert. 

"  Soar  aloft,"  he  cried  harshly  to  the  eagle ; 
"  search  for  the  hoopoo,  and  bring  it  hither,  that 
I  may  pluck  off  its  feathers,  and  expose  it  naked 
to  the  scorching  sun,  until  the  worms  shall  have 
consumed  it." 


THE    HOOPOO.  219 

The  eagle  soared  heavenward  until  the  earth 
beneath  him  appeared  like  an  inverted  bow^l. 
He  then  halted,  and  looked  in  every  direction 
to  discover  the  truant  subject.  As  soon  as  he 
spied  it  coming  from  the  south,  he  plunged  down, 
and  would  have  seized  it  in  his  talons,  but  the 
hoopoo  adjured  him  by  Solomon  to  forbear. 

"  Barest  thou  to  invoke  the  king's  protection  ?" 
replied  the  eagle.  "  Well  may  thy  mother  weep 
for  thee.  The  king  is  enraged,  for  he  has  dis- 
covered thy  absence,  and  sworn  to  punish  it  ter- 
ribly." 

"  Lead  me  to  him,"  rejoined  the  other.  "  I 
know  that  he  will  excuse  my  absence  when  he 
hears  where  I  have  been,  and  what  I  have  to 
report  of  my  ex-cursion." 

The  eagle  led  him  to  the  king,  who  was  sitting 
on  his  judgment  throne  with  wrathful  counte- 
nance, and  instantly  drew  the  delinquent  vio- 
lently toward  him.  The  hoopoo  trembled  in 
every  limb,  and  hung  down  his  plumage  in  token 
of  submission.  But  when  Solomon  would  have 
grasped  him  still  more  tightly,  he  cried,  "  Re- 
member, O  prophet  of  Allah !  that  thou,  too, 
shalt  one  day  give  an  account  unto  the  Lord : 
let  me,  therefore,  not  be  condemned  unheard." 

"  How  canst  thou  excuse  thy  absenting  thy- 
self without  my  permission  ?" 

"  I  bring  information  respecting   a   country 


220  THE    REPORT. 

and  a  queen  whose  names  thou  hast  not  even 
.heard  of — the  country  of  Saba,  and  Queen 
Balkis." 

"  These  names  are  indeed  quite  strange  to 
me.     Who  has  informed  thee  of  them?" 

"  A  hoopoo  from  those  regions,  whom  I  met 
during  one  of  my  short  excursions.  In  the 
course  of  our  conversation  I  spoke  to  him  of 
thee,  and  thy  extensive  dominions,  and  he  was 
astonished  that  thy  fame  should  not  yet  have 
reached  his  home.  He  entreated  me,  therefore, 
to  accompany  him  there,  and  convince  myself 
that  it  would  be  worth  thy  while  to  subject  the 
land  of  Saba  unto  thy  scepter. 

"  On  our  way  he  related  to  me  the  whole  his- 
tory of  that  country  down  to  its  present  queen, 
who  rules  over  so  large  an  army  that  she  re- 
quires twelve  thousand  captains  to  command 
it." 

Solomon  relinquished  his  hold  of  the  hoopoo, 
and  commanded  him  to  recount  all  that  he  had 
heard  of  that  country  and  its  history,  whereupon 
the  bird  began  as  follows :  "  Most  mighty  king 
and  prophet  I  be  it  known  to  thee  that  Saba  is 
the  capital  of  an  extensive  country  in  the  south 
of  Arabia,  and  was  founded  by  King  Saba,  Ibn 
Jashab,  Ibn  Sarab,  Ibn  Kachtan.  His  name 
was  properly  Abd  Shems  (the  servant  of  the 
Sun) ;  but  he  had  received  the  surname  of  Saba 


SABA. 


221 


(one  who  takes  captive)  by  reason  of  his  nu- 
merous conquests." 

Saba  was  the  largest  and  most  superb  city 
ever  constructed  by  the  hand  of  man,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  so  strongly  fortified  that  it  might 
have  defied  the  united  armies  of  the  world. 

But  that  which  especially  distinguished  this 
city  of  marble  palaces  were  the  magnificent 
gardens  in  the  center  of  which  it  stood. 

For  King  Saba  had,  in  compliance  with  the 
counsels  of  the  wise  Lockman,  constructed  vast 
dikes  and  numerous  canals,  both  to  guard  the 
people  from  inundation  during  the  rainy  season, 
and  also  against  want  of  water  in  time  of 
drought. 

Thus  it  came  to  pass,  that  this  country,  which 
is  so  vast  that  a  good  horseman  would  require 
a  month  to  traverse  it,  became  rapidly  the  rich- 
est and  most  fertile  of  the  whole  earth.  It  was 
covered  with  the  finest  trees  in  every  direction, 
so  that  its  travelers  knew  nothing  of  the  scorch- 
ing sun.  Its  air,  too,  was  so  pure  and  refresh- 
ing, and  its  sky  so  transparent,  that  the  inhabi- 
tants lived  to  a  very  great  age,  in  the  enjoyment 
of  perfect  health. 

The  land  of  Saba  was,  as  it  were,  a  diadem 
on  the  brow  of  the  universe. 

This  state  of  felicity  endured  as  long  as  it 
pleased   Allah.     King  Saba,  its  founder,  died, 
T2 


222  SABA. 

and  was  succeeded  by  other  kings,  who  enjoyed 
the  fruits  of  Lockman's  labors  without  thinking 
of  preserving  them  ;  but  time  was  busy  with 
their  destruction.  The  torrents,  plunging  from 
the  adjacent  mountains,  gradually  undermined 
the  dike  which  had  been  constructed  to  restrain 
and  to  distribute  them  into  the  various  canals, 
so  that  it  fell  in  at  last,  and  the  whole  country 
was,  in  consequence,  laid  waste  by  a  fearful 
flood.  The  first  precursors  of  an  approaching 
disaster  showed  themselves  in  the  reign  of  King 
Amru.  In  his  time  it  was  that  the  priestess 
Dharifa  beheld  in  a  dream  a  vast  dark  cloud, 
which,  bursting  amid  terrific  thunderings,  pour- 
ed destruction  upon  the  land.  She  told  her 
dream  to  the  king,  and  made  no  secret  of  her 
fears  respecting  the  welfare  of  his  empire  ;  but 
the  king  and  his  courtiers  endeavored  to  silence 
her,  and  continued,  as  before,  their  heedless, 
careless  courses. 

One  day,  however,  while  Amru  was  in  a 
grove  in  dalliance  with  two  maidens,  the  priest- 
ess stepped  before  him  with  disheveled  hair 
and  ruffled  countenance,  and  predicted  anew 
the  speedy  desolation  of  the  country. 

The  king  dismissed  his  companions ;  and 
having  seated  the  priestess  beside  him,  inquired 
of  her  what  new  omen  foreboded  this  evil.  "  On 
my  way  hither,"  replied  Dharifa,  "  I  met  crim- 


^5ABA.  223 

son  rats  standing  erect,  and  wiping  their  eyes 
with  their  feet ;  and  a  turtle,  which  lay  on  its 
back,  struggling  in  vain  to  rise :  these  are  cer- 
tain signs  of  a  flood,  which  shall  reduce  this 
country  to  the  sad  condition  in  which  it  was  in 
ancient  times." 

"  What  proof  givest  thou  me  of  the  truth  of 
thy  statement?"  inquired  Amru. 

"Go  to  the  dike,  and  thine  own  eyes  shall 
convince  thee." 

The  king  went,  but  speedily  came  back  to  the 
grove  with  distracted  countenance.  "  I  have 
seen  a  dreadful  sight,"  he  cried.  "  Three  rats 
as  large  as  porcupines  were  gnawing  the  dikes 
with  their  teeth,  and  tearing  off  pieces  of  rock 
which  fifty  men  would  not  have  been  able  to 
move." 

Dharifa  then  gave  him  still  other  signs ;  and 
he  himself  had  a  dream,  in  which  he  saw  the 
tops  of  the  loftiest  trees  covered  with  sand — an 
evident  presage  of  the  approaching  flood — so 
that  he  resolved  to  fly  from  his  country. 

Yet,  in  order  to  dispose  of  his  castles  and 
possessions  to  advantage,  he  concealed  what  he 
had  seen  and  heard,  and  invented  the  following 
pretext  for  his  emigration. 

One  day  he  gave  a  grand  banquet  to  his  high- 
est officers  of  state  and  the  chiefs  of  his  army, 
but  arranged  with  his  son  beforehand  that  he 


224  SABA. 

should  strike  him  in  the  face  during  a  discussicu 
When  this  accordingly  took  place  at  the  public 
table,  the  king  sprang  up,  drew  his  sword,  and 
feigned  to  slay  his  son ;  but,  as  he  had  foreseen, 
his  guests  rushed  in  between  them,  and  hurried 
away  the  prince.  Amru  then  swore  that  he 
would  no  longer  remain  in  a  country  where  he 
had  suffered  such  a  disgrace.  But,  when  all 
his  estates  were  sold,  he  avowed  the  true  motive 
of  his  emigration,  and  many  tribes  joined  them- 
selves to  him. 

Soon  after  his  departure  the  predicted  calami- 
ties took  place,  for  the  inhabitants  of  Saba,  or 
Mareb,  as  this  city  is  sometimes  called,  listened 
neither  to  the  warnings  of  Dharifa  nor  the  ad- 
monition of  a  prophet  whom  Allah  had  sent 
them.  The  strong  dike  fell  in,  and  the  waters, 
pouring  from  the  mountain,  devastated  the  city 
and  the  entire  vicinity.  "  As,  however,  the  men 
of  Saba,"  continued  the  hoopoo,  in  his  narrative 
before  King  Solomon,  "  who  had  fled  into  the 
mountain,  were  improved  by  their  misfortune, 
and  repented,  they  soon  succeeded,  with  the  help 
of  Allah,  in  constructing  new  dams,  and  in  re- 
storing their  country  to  a  high  degree  of  power 
and  prosperity,  which  went  on  increasing  under 
the  succeeding  kings,  though  the  old  vices  too 
reappeared,  and,  instead  of  the  Creator  of  heav- 
en and  earth,  they  even  worshiped  the  sun." 


SABA.  225 

The  last  king  of  Saba,  named  Sharahbil,  wa  a 
monster  of  tyranny.  He  had  a  vizier  descent 
ed  from  the  ancient  royal  house  of  the  Himiar 
ites,  who  was  so  handsome  that  he  found  favor 
in  the  eyes  of  the  daughters  of  the  genii,  and  they 
often  phiced  themselves  in  his  way  in  the  shape 
of  gazelles,  merely  to  gaze  upon  him.  One  of 
them,  W'hose  name  was  Umeira,  felt  so  ardent 
an  attachment  for  the  vizier,  that  she  completely 
forgot  the  distinction  between  men  and  genii, 
and  one  day,  while  he  was  following  the  chase, 
appeared  in  the  form  of  a  beautiful  virgin,  and 
offered  him  her  hand,  on  condition  that  he  would 
follow  her,  and  never  demand  an  account  of  any 
of  her  actions.  The  vizier  thought  the  daughter 
of  the  genii  so  far  exalted  above  all  human  beau- 
ty, that  he  lost  his  self-command,  and  consented, 
without  reflection,  to  all  that  she  proposed. 
Umeira  then  journeyed  with  him  to  the  island 
where  she  lived,  and  married  him.  Within  a 
year's  time  she  bore  a  daughter,  whom  she  call- 
ed Balkis  ;  but  soon  after  that  she  left  her  hus- 
band, because  he  (as  Moses  had  done  with  Al- 
kidhr)  had  repeatedly  inquired  into  her  motives 
when  unable  to  comprehend  her  actions.  The 
vizier  then  returned  with  Balkis  to  his  native 
country,  and  concealed  himself  in  one  of  its  val- 
leys at  a  distance  from  the  capital  :  there  Balkis 
grew  up  like  the  fairest  flower  of  Yemen  :  but 
15 


226  SABA. 

she  was  obliged  to  live  in  greater  retirement  the 
older  she  became,  for  her  father  feared  lest 
Sharahbil  might  hear  of  her,  and  treat  her  as  re- 
morselessly-as  the  other  maidens  of  Saba. 

Nevertheless,  Heaven  had  decreed  that  all  his 
precautions  should  be  abortive  ;  for  the  king,  in 
order  to  learn  the  condition  of  his  empire,  and 
the  secret  sentiments  of  his  subjects,  once  made 
a  journey  on  foot,  disguised  like  a  beggar, 
throughout  the  land.  When  he  came  to  the  re- 
gion where  the  vizier  lived,  he  heard  both  him 
and  his  daughter  much  spoken  of,  because  no 
one  knew  who  he  was,  nor  whence  he  had  come, 
nor  w^hy  he  lived  in  such  obscurity.  The  king 
therefore  caused  his  residence  to  be  pointed  out, 
and  he  reached  it  at  the  moment  when  the  vizier 
and  his  daughter  were  seated  at  table.  His 
first  glance  fell  on  Balkis,  who  w^as  then  in  her 
fourteenth  year,  and  beautiful  like  an  houri  of 
Paradise,  for,  with  the  grace  and  loveliness  of 
woman,  she  combined  the  transparent  com- 
plexion and  the  majesty  of  the  genii.  But  how 
great  was  his  astonishment,  when,  fixing  his  eye 
on  her  father,  he  recognized  his  former  vizier, 
who  had  so  suddenly  disappeared,  and  whose 
fate  had  remained  unknown  ! 

As  soon  as  the  vizier  observed  that  the  king 
had  recognized  him,  he  fell  down  at  his  feet,  im- 
ploring his  favor,  and  relating  all  that  had  be- 


SABA.  227 

fallen  him  during  his  absence.  Sharahbil  par- 
doned him  from  love  to  Balkis,  but  demanded 
that  he  should  resume  his  former  functions,  and 
at  the  same  time  presented  him  with  a  palace  in 
the  finest  situation  near  his  capital.  But  a  few 
weeks  had  scarcely  elapsed  when  the  vizier 
one  morning  returned  from  the  city  with  a  heav- 
ily clouded  brow,  and  said  to  Balkis,  "  My  fears 
are  now  realized  !  The  king  has  asked  thy  hand, 
and  I  could  not  refuse  without  endangering  my 
life,  although  I  would  rather  see  thee  laid  in  thy 
grave  than  in  the  arms  of  this  tyrant." 

"  Dismiss  your  fears,  my  father,"  replied  Bal- 
kis ;  "  I  shall  free  me  and  my  whole  sex  from 
this  abandoned  man.  Only  put  on  a  cheerful 
brow,  that  he  may  not  conceive  any  suspicion, 
and  request  of  him,  as  the  only  favor  1  demand, 
that  our  nuptials  be  solemnized  here  in  privacy." 

The  king  cheerfully  agreed  to  the  wish  of  his 
bride,  and  repaired  on  the  following  morning, 
accompanied  by  a  few  servants,  to  the  vizier's 
palace,  where  he  was  entertained  with  royal 
magnificence.  After  the  repast,  the  vizier  retired 
with  his  guests,  and  Balkis  remained  alone  with 
the  king  ;  but  on  a  given  signal  her  female  slaves 
appeared :  one  of  them  sang,  another  played  on 
the  harp,  a  third  danced  before  them,  and  a 
fourth  presented  wine  in  golden  cups.  The  last 
was,  by  Balkis's  directions,  especially  active,  so 


228  SABA. 

that  the  king,  whom  she  urged  by  every  art  to 
partake  of  the  strongest  wines,  soon  fell  back 
lifeless  on  his  divan.  Balkis  now  drew  forth  a 
dagger  from  beneath  her  robe,  and  plunged  it  so 
deeply  into  the  heart  of  Sharahbil,  that  his  soul 
rushed  instantly  to  hell.  She  then  called  her 
father,  and  pointing  to  the  corpse  before  her, 
said,  "  To-morrow  morning,  let  the  most  influ- 
ential men  of  the  city,  and  also  some  chiefs  of 
the  army,  be  commanded,  in  the  king's  name,  to 
send  him  their  daughters.  This  will  produce  a 
revolt,  which  we  shall  improve  to  our  advan- 
tage." 

Balkis  was  not  mistaken  in  her  conjecture; 
for  the  men,  whose  daughters  were  threatened 
with  infamy,  called  their  kinsmen  together,  and 
marched  in  the  evening  to  the  palace  of  the 
vizier,  threatening  to  set  it  on  lire  unless  the 
king  should  be  delivered  up  to  them. 

Balkis  then  cut  off  the  king's  head,  and  flung 
it  through  the  window  to  the  assembled  insurg- 
ents. Instantly  there  arose  the  loud  exultations 
of  the  multitude ;  the  city  was  festively  illumin- 
ed, and  Balkis,  as  protectress  of  her  sex,  was 
proclaimed  Queen  of  Saba.  "  This  queen,"  con- 
cluded the  hoopoo,  "has  been  reigning  there 
since  many  years  in  great  wisdom  and  prudence, 
and  justice  prevails  throughout  her  now  flourish- 
ing empire.     She  assists  at  all  the  councils  of  her 


THE    MItSSlVE.  229 

viziers,  concealed  from  the  gaze  of  men  by  a  fine 
curtain,  seated  on  a  lofty  throne  of  most  skillful 
workmanship,  and  adorned  with  jewels  ;  but, 
like  many  of  the  kings  of  that  country  before 
her,  she  is  a  worshiper  of  the  sun." 

"  We  shall  see,"  said  Solomon,  when  the  hoo- 
poo  had  concluded  the  account  of  his  journey, 
"  whether  thou  hast  spoken  the  truth,  or  art  to 
be  numbered  among  deceivers." 

He  then  caused  a  fountain  to  be  pointed  out 
by  the  hoopoo,  performed  his  ablutions,  and, 
when  he  had  prayed,  \vrote  the  following  lines : 
"  From  Solomon,  the  son  of  David  and  servant 
of  Allah,  to  Balkis,  queen  of  Saba.  In  the  name 
of  Allah  the  All-merciful  and  Gracious,  blessed 
are  they  who  follow  the  guidance  of  Fate  !  follow 
thou  my  invitation,  and  present  thyself  before  me 
as  a  believer."  This  note  he  sealed  with  musk, 
stamped  his  signet  on  it,  and  gave  it  to  the  hoo- 
poo, with  the  words,  "  Take  this  letter  to  Queen 
Balkis  ;  then  retire,  but  not  so  far  as  to  preclude 
thee  from  hearing  what  she  shall  advise  with  her 
viziers  respecting  it." 

The  hoopoo,  with  the  letter  in  his  bill,  darted 
away  like  an  arrow,  and  arrived  next  day  at 
Mared.  The  queen  was  surrounded  by  all  her 
counselors,  when  he  stepped  into  her  hall  of 
state,  and  dropped  the  letter  into  her  lap.  She 
started  as  soon  as  she  beheld  Solomon's  mighty 
U 


230  UUEEN    BALKIS. 

signet,  opened  the  letter  hurriedly,  and,  having 
first  read  it  to  herself,  communicated  it  to  her 
counselors,  among  whom  were  also  her  highest 
chieftains,  and  entreated  their  counsel  on  this 
important  matter. 

JBut  they  replied  with  one  voice,  "You  may 
rely  on  our  power  and  courage,  and  act  accord- 
ing to  your  good  pleasure  and  wisdom.*' 

"  Before,  then,  1  engage  in  war,"  said  Balkis, 
"which  always  entails  much  suffering  and  mis- 
fortune upon  a  country,  I  will  send  some  presents 
to  King  Solomon,  and  see  how  he  will  receive 
my  ambassadors.  If  he  suffers  himself  to  be 
bribed,  he  is  no  more  than  other  kings  who  have 
fallen  before  our  power;  but  if  he  reject  my 
presents,  then  is  he  a  true  prophet,  whose  faith 
w^e  must  embrace." 

She  then  dressed  five  hundred  youths  like 
maidens,  and  as  many  maidens  like  young  men, 
and  commanded  the  former  to  behave  in  the 
presence  of  Solomon  like  girls,  and  the  latter  like 
boys.  She  then  had  a  thousand  carpets  prepar- 
ed, wrought  with  gold  and  silver  ;  a  crown,  com- 
posed of  the  finest  pearls  and  hyacinths  ;  and 
many  loads  of  musk,  amber,  aloes,  and  other 
precious  products  of  South  Arabia.  To  these 
she  added  a  closed  casket  containing  an  unperfo- 
rated  pearl,  a  diamond  intricately  pierced,  and 
a  goblet  of  crystal. 


RIDDLE3.  231 

"  As  a  true  prophet,"  she  wrote  to  him,  "  thou 
wilt  no  doubt  be  able  to  distinguish  the  youths 
from  the*  maidens,  to  divine  the  contents  of  the 
closed  casket,  to  perforate  the  pearl,  to  thread 
the  diamond,  and  to  fill  the  goblet  with  water 
that  has  neither  dropped  from  the  clouds  nor 
gushed  forth  from  the  earth." 

All  these  presents  and  her  letter  she  sent  to 
him  by  experienced  and  intelligent  men,  to  whom 
she  said  at  their  departure,  "  If  Solomon  meet 
you  with  pride  and  harshness,  be  not  cast  down, 
for  these  are  indications  of  human  weakness  ; 
but  if  he  receive  you  with  kindness  and  conde- 
scension, be  on  your  guard,  for  you  then  have  to 
do  with  a  prophet." 

The  hoopoo  heard  all  this,  for  he  had  kept 
close  to  the  queen  until  the  ambassadors  had  de- 
parted. He  then  flew  in  a  direct  line,  without 
resting,  to  the  tent  of  Solomon,  to  whom  he  re- 
ported what  he  had  heard.  The  king  then  com- 
manded the  genii  to  produce  a  carpet  which 
should  cover  the  space  of  nine  parasangs,  and 
to  spread  it  out  at  the  steps  of  his  throne  toward 
the  south.  To  the  eastward,  where  the  carpet 
ceased,  he  caused  a  lofty  golden  wall  to  be 
erected,  and  to  the  westward,  one  of  silver.  On 
both  sides  of  the  carpet  he  ranged  the  rarest 
foreign  animals,  and  all  kinds  of  genii  and  de- 
mons. 


23'2  .MA(ji\ii]cE.\(ji:. 

The  ambassadors  were  greatly  conllised  oo 
arriving  in  Solomon's  encampment,  where  a 
splendor  and  magnificence  were  displayed  such 
as  they  had  never  conceived  of  before.  The  first 
thing  they  did  on  beholding  the  immense  carpet, 
which  their  eyes  were  unable  to  survey,  was  to 
fling  away  their  thousand  carpets  which  they 
had  brought  as  a  present  for  the  king.  The 
nearer  they  came  the  greater  waxed  their  per- 
plexity, on  account  of  the  many  singular  birds, 
and  beasts,  and  spirits  through  whose  ranks  they 
had  to  pass  in  approaching  Solomon ;  but  their 
hearts  were  relieved  as  soon  as  they  stood  be- 
fore him,  for  he  greeted  them  with  kindness,  and 
inquired  with  smiling  lips  what  had  brought  them 
to  him. 

"  We  are  the  bearers  of  a  letter  from  Queen 
Balkis,"  replied  the  most  eloquent  of  the  embassy, 
while  he  presented  the  letter. 

"  I  know  its  contents,"  replied  Solomon, "  with- 
out opening  it,  as  well  as  those  of  the  casket 
which  you  have  brought  with  you  ;  and  I  shall, 
by  the  help  of  Allah,  perforate  your  pearl,  and 
cause  your  diamond  to  be  threaded.  But  I  Will 
first  of  all  fill  your  goblet  with  water  which  has 
not  f^dlen  from  the  clouds  nor  gushed  from  the 
earth,  and  distinguish  the  beardless  youths  from 
the  virgins  who  accompany  you."  He  then 
caused  one  thousand  silver  bowis  and  basins  to 


RIDDLEd    riOLVED.  23'S 

be  brought,  and  commanded  the  male  and  fe- 
male slaves  to  wash  themselves.  The  former 
immediately  put  their  hands,  on  which  the  water 
was  poured,  to  their  faces ;  but  the  latter  first 
emptied  it  into  their  right  hands  as  it  flowed 
from  the  bowl  into  their  left,  and  then  washed 
their  faces  with  both  their  hands.  Hereupon 
Solomon  readily  discovered  the  sexes  of  the 
slaves,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  the  ambas- 
sadors. This  being  done,  he  commanded  a  tall 
and  corpulent  slave  to  mount  on  a  young  and 
fiery  horse,  and  to  ride  through  the  camp  at  the 
top  of  his  speed,  and  to  return  instantly  to  him. 
When  the  slave  returned  with  the  steed  to  Sol- 
omon, there  poured  from  him  whole  torrents  of 
perspiration,  so  that  the  crystal  goblet  was  im- 
mediately filled. 

"  Here,"  said  Solomon  to  the  ambassadors, 
"  is  w^ater  which  has  neither  come  out  of  the 
earth  nor  from  heaven."  The  pearl  he  perfo- 
rated with  the  stone,  for  the  knowledge  of  which 
he  was  indebted  to  Sachr  and  the  raven ;  but 
the  threading  of  the  diamond,  in  whose  opening 
there  was  every  possible  curve,  pi^izzled  him, 
until  a  demon  brought  him  a  worm,  which  crept 
through  the  jewel,  leaving  a  silken  thread  behind. 
Solomon  inquired  of  the  worm  how  he  might 
reward  him  for  this  great  service,  by  which  he 
had  saved  his  dignity  as  a  prophet.  The  worm 
^     '   V  2 


234  PROPAGATIOxN    OF    THE    FAITH. 

requested   that  a  fine  fruit-tree   should   be   ap 
pointed  to  him  as  his  dwelling.     Solomon  gave 
him  the  mulberry-tree,  which  from  that  time  af- 
fords a  shelter  and  nourishment  to  the  silk- worm 
forever. 

"  You  have  seen  now,"  said  Solomon  to  the 
ambassadors,  "  that  I  have  successfully  passed 
all  the  trials  which  your  queen  has  imposed  on 
me.  Return  to  her,  together  with  the  presents 
destined  for  me,  of  which  I  do  not  stand  in  need, 
and  tell  her  that  if  she  do  not  accept  my  faith 
and  do  homage  unto  me,  I  shall  invade  her  coun- 
try with  an  army  which  no  human  power  shall 
be  able  to  resist,  and  drag  her  a  w^retched  cap- 
tive to  my  capital." 

The  ambassadors  left  Solomon  under  the  full- 
est conviction  of  his  might,  and  mission  a  proph- 
et ;  and  their  report  respecting  all  that  had  pass- 
ed between  them  and  the  king  made  the  same 
impression  on  Queen  Balkis. 

"  Solomon  is  a  mighty  prophet,"  said  she  to 
the  viziers  who  surrounded  her,  and  had  listened 
to  the  narrative  of  the  ambassadors.  "  The  best 
plan  I  can  adopt  is  to  journey  to  him  with  the 
leaders  of  my  army,  in  order  to  ascertain  what 
he  demands  of  us."  She  then  commanded  the 
necessary  preparations  for  the  journey  to  be 
made ;  but,  before  her  departure,  she  locked  up 
her  throne,  which  she  left  \a  ith  the  greatest  re- 


INCANTATION.  235 

luctance,  in  a  hall  which  it  was  impossible  to 
reach  without  first  stepping  through  six  other 
closed  halls  ;  and  all  the  seven  halls  were  in  the 
innermost  of  the  seven  closed  apartments,  of 
which  the  palace,  guarded  by  her  most  faithful 
servants,  consisted. 

When  Queen  Balkis,  attended  by  her  twelve 
thousand  .  captains,  each  of  whom  commanded 
several  thousand  men,  had  come  within  a  para- 
sang  of  Solomon's  encampment,  he  said  to  his 
hosts,  "  Which  of  you  will  bring  me  the  throne 
of  Queen  Balkis  before  she  come  to  me  as  a  be- 
liever, that  I  may  rightfully  appropriate  this  cu- 
rious piece  of  art  while  yet  in  the  possession  of 
an  infidel  ?" 

Hereupon  a  misshapen  demon  (who  was  as 
large  as  a  mountain)  said,  "  I  will  bring  it  to  thee 
before  noon,  ere  thou  dismiss  thy  council.  I  am 
not  wanting  in  power  for  the  achievement,  and 
thou  mayest  intrust  me  with  the  throne  without 
any  apprehension." 

But  Solomon  had  not  so  much  time  left,  for 
he  already  perceived  at  a  distance  the  clouds  of 
dust  raised  by  the  army  of  Saba. 

"  Then,"  said  his  vizier  Assaf,  the  son  of  Bu- 
rahja,  who,  by  reason  of  his  acquaintance  with 
the  holy  names  of  Allah,  found  nothing  too  diffi- 
cult, "  raise  thy  eyes  toward  heaven,  and  before 
thou  shalt  be  able  to  cast  them  down  again  to 


the  earth,  the  ihrone  of  the  Queen  of  Saba  shall 
stand  here  before  thee." 

Solomon  gazed  heavenward,  and  Assaf  called 
Allah  by  his  holiest  name,  praying  that  he  might 
send  him  the  throne  of  Balkis.  Then,  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  the  throne  rolled  through 
the  bowels  of  the  earth  until  it  came  to  the 
throne  of  Solomon,  and  rose  up  through  the 
opening  ground,  whereupon  Solomon  exclaimed, 
*'How  great  is  the  goodness  of  Allah  !  this  was 
assuredly  intended  as  a  trial  whether  I  should 
be  grateful  to  him  or  not;  but  whosoever  ac- 
knowledgeth  the  goodness  of  Allah,  does  it  to 
himself,  and  whoever  denieth  it,  does  no  less  so. 
Allah  has  no  need  of  human  gratitude  !" 

After  having  admired  the  throne,  he  said  to 
one  of  his  servants,  "  Make  some  change  on  it, 
and  let  us  see  whether  Balkis  will  recognize 
it  again."  The  servants  took  several  parts  of 
the  throne  to  pieces,  and  replaced  them  differ- 
ently ;  but  when  Balkis  w-as  asked  whether  her 
throne  was  like  it,  she  replied,  "  It  seems  as  if  it 
were  the  same." 

This  and  other  replies  of  the  queen  convinced 
Solomon  of  her  superior  understanding,  for  she 
had  undoubtedly  recognized  her  throne ;  but 
her  answ^er  was  so  equivocal  that  it  did  not 
sound  either  reproachful  or  suspicious.  But,  be- 
fore he  would  enter  into  more  intimate  relations 


THE    CONVERT.  237 

with  her,  he  desired  to  clear  up  a  certain  point 
respecting  her,  and  to  see  whether  she  actually- 
had  cloven  feet,  as  several  of  his  demons  would 
have  him  to  believe,  or  whether  they  had  only 
invented  the  defect  from  fear  lest  he  might 
marry  her  and  beget  children,  who,  as  descend- 
ants of  the  genii,  would  be  even  more  mighty 
than  himself  He  therefore  caused  her  to  be 
conducted  through  a  hall  whose  floor  was  of 
crystal,  and  under  which  water,  tenanted  by 
every  variety  of  fish,  was  flowing.  Balkis,  who 
had  never  seen  a  crystal  floor,  supposed  that 
there  w^as  water  to  be  passed  through,  and 
therefore  raised  her  robe  slightly,  when  the  king 
discovered,  to  his  great  joy,  a  beautifully-shaped 
female  foot.  When  his  eye  was  satisfied,  he 
called  to  her,  "  Come  hither !  there  is  no  water 
here,  but  only  a  crystal  floor ;  and  confess  thy- 
self to  the  fiith  in  one  only  God."  Balkis  ap- 
proached the  throne,  which  stood  at  the  end  of 
the  hall,  and  in  Solomon's  presence  abjured  the 
worship  of  the  sun. 

Solomon  then  married  Balkis,  but  reinstated 
her  as  Queen  of  Saba,  and  spent  three  days  in 
every  month  with  her. 

On  one  of  his' progresses  from  Jerusalem  to 
Mareb,he  passed  through  a  valley  inhabited  by 
apes,  which,  however,  dressed  and  lived  like 
men,  and  had  more  comfortable  dwellings  than 


238*  THE    APES. 

other  apes,  and  even  bore  all  kinds  of  weapons. 
He  descended  from  his  flying  carpet,  and  march- 
ed into  the  valley  with  a  few  of  his  troops. 
The  apes  hurried  together  to  drive  him  back, 
but  one  of  their  elders  stepped  forward  and 
said,  "  Let  us  rather  seek  safety  in  submission, 
for  our  foe  is  a  holy  prophet."  Three  apes 
were  immediately  chosen  as  ambassadors  to  ne- 
gotiate with  Solomon.  He  received  them  kind- 
ly, and  inquired  to  which  class  of  apes  they  be- 
longed, and  how  it  came  to  pass  that  they  were 
so  skilled  in  all  human  arts.  The  ambassadors 
replied,  "  Be  not  astonished  at  us,  for  we  are 
descended  from  men,  and  are  the  remnant  of  a 
Jewish  community,  which,  notwithstanding  all 
admonition,  continued  to  desecrate  the  Sabbath, 
until  Allah  cursed  them,  and  turned  them  into 
apes.*  Solomon  was  moved  to  compassion ; 
and,  to  protect  them  from  all  farther  animosity 
on  the  part  of  man,  gave  them  a  parchment,  in 
which  he  secured  to  them  forever  the  undis- 
turbed possession  of  this  valley. 

[At  the  time  of  the  Calif  Omar,  there  came  a 
division  of  troops  into  this  valley ;  but  when 
they  would  have  raised  their  tents  to  occupy  it, 
there  came  an  aged  ape,  with  a  scroll  of  parch- 
ment in  his  hands,  and  presented  it  to  the  leader 
of  the  soldiers.     Yet,  as  no  one  was  able  to  read 

*  Mohammed  mentions  this  in  the  Koran  as  a  fact. 


NUBARA.  239 

it,  they  sent  it  to  Omar  at  Medina,  to  whom  it 
was  explained  by  a  Jew,  who  had  been  convert- 
ed to  Islam.  He  sent  it  back  forthwith,  and 
commanded  the  troops  to  evacuate  the  valley.] 

Meanwhile,  Balkis  soon  found  a  dangerous 
rival  in  Djarada,  the  daughter  of  King  Nubara, 
who  governed  one  of  the  finest  islands  in  the 
Indian  Ocean.  This  king  was  a  fearful  tyrant, 
and  forced  all  his  subjects  to  worship  him  as  a 
god. 

As  soon  as  Solomon  heard  of  it,  he  marched 
against  him  with  as  many  troops  as  his  largest 
carpet  could  contain,  conquered  the  island,  and 
slew  the  king  with  his  own  hand.  When  he 
was  on  the  point  of  leaving  the  palace  of  Nuba- 
ra, there  stepped  before  him  a  virgin  who  far 
surpassed  in  beauty  and  grace  the  whole  harem 
of  Solomon,  not  even  the  Queen  of  Saba  except- 
ed. He  commanded  her  to  be  led  to  his  carpet, 
and,  threatening  her  with  death,  forced  her  to 
accept  his  faith  and  his  hand. 

But  Djarada  saw  in  Solomon  only  the  mur- 
derer of  her  father,  and  replied  to  his  caresses 
with  sighs  and  tears. 

Solomon  hoped  that  time  would  heal  her 
wounds,  and  reconcile  her  to  her  fate ;  but 
when,  at  the  expiration  of  a  whole  year,  her 
heart  still  remained  closed  against  love  and  joy, 
he  overwhelmed  her  with  reproaches,  and  in- 
quired how  he  might  assuage  her  grief. 


240  IDOLATRY. ASSAF. 

"  As  it  is  not  in  thy  power  "  replied  Djarada, 
"  to  recall  my  father  to  life,  send  a  few  genii  to 
my  home:  let  them  bring  his  statue,  and  place 
it  in  my  chamber :  perhaps  the  very  sight  of  his 
image  w^ill  procure  me  some  consolation." 

Solomon  was  weak  enough  to  comply  with 
her  request,  and  to  defile  his  palace  with  the  im- 
age of  a  man  who  had  deified  himself,  and  to 
whom  even  Djarada  secretly  paid  divine  honors. 
This  idol  worship  had  lasted  forty  days,  when 
Assaf  was  informed  of  it.  He  therefore  mount- 
ed the  rostrum,  and,  before  the  whole  assembled 
people,  pronounced  a  discourse,  in  which  he  de- 
scribed the  pure  and  God-devoted  life  of  all  the 
prophets,  from  Adam  until  David.  In  passing 
to  Solomon,  he  praised  the  wisdom  and  piety 
of  the  first  years  of  his  reign,  but  regretted  that 
his  later  courses  showed  less  of  the  true  fear  of 
God. 

As  soon  as  Solomon  had  learned  the  contents 
of  this  discourse,  he  summoned  Assaf,  and  in- 
quired of  him  whereby  he  had  deserved  to  be 
thus  censured  before  the  whole  people. 

Assaf  replied,  "  Thou  hast  permitted  thy  pas- 
sion to  blind  thee,  and  sufTered  idolatry  in  thy 
palace." 

Solomon  hastened  to  the  apartments  of  Dja- 
rada, whom  he  found  prostrate  in  prayer  before 
the  image  of  her  father,  and  exclaiming. 


SACHR.  241 

"  We  belong  unto  Allah,  and  shall  one  day 
return  to  Him  !"  he  shivered  the  idol  to  pieces, 
and  punished  the  princess.  He  then  put  on  new- 
robes,  which  none  but  pure  virgins  had  touched, 
strewed  ashes  on  his  head,  went  into  the  desert, 
and  implored  Allah  for  forgiveness. 

Allah  pardoned  his  sin  ;  but  he  was  to  atone 
for  it  during  forty  days.  On  returning  home  in 
the  evening,  having  given  his  signet  into  the 
keeping  of  one  of  his  wives  until  he  should  re- 
turn from  an  unclean  place,  Sachr  assumed  his 
form,  and  obtained  from  her  the  ring.  Soon 
after,  Solomon  himself  claimed  it ;  but  he  was 
laughed  at  and  derided,  for  the  light  of  prophecy 
had  departed  from  him,  so  that  no  one  recog- 
nized him  as  king,  and  he  was  driven  from  his 
palace  as  a  deceiver  and  impostor.  He  now 
wandered  up  and  down  the  country,  and  wher- 
ever he  gave  his  name  he  was  mocked  as  a 
madman,  and  shamefully  entreated.  In  this 
manner  he  lived  nine-and-thirty  days,  sometimes 
begging,  sometimes  living  on  herbs.  On  the 
fortieth  day  he  entered  into  the  service  of  a  fish- 
erman, who  promised  him  as  his  daily  Wages 
two  fishes,  one  of  which  he  hoped  to  exchange 
for  bread.  But  on  that  day  the  power  of  Sachr 
came  to  an  end  ;  for  this  wicked  spirit  had,  not- 
withstanding his  external  resemblance  to  Solo- 
mon, and  his  possession  of  the  signet  ring,  by 
16  X 


842  PKOVIUENC'E. 

which  he  had  obtained  power  over  spirits,  men, 
and  animals,  excited  suspicion  by  his  ungodly 
deportment,  and  his  senseless  and  unlawful  or- 
dinances. 

The  elders  of  Israel  came  daily  to  Assaf,  pre- 
ferring new  charges  against  the  king  ;  but  Assaf 
constantly  found  the  doors  of  the  palace  closed 
against  him. 

But  when,  finally,  on  the  fortieth  day,  even 
the  wives  of  Solomon  came  and  complained 
that  the  king  no  longer  observed  any  of  the  pre- 
scribed rules  of  purification,  Assaf,  accompanied 
by  some  doctors  of  the  law,  who  were  reading 
aloud  in  the  Thora,  forced  his  way,  spite  of  the 
gate-keepers  and  sentinels,  who  would  have  hin- 
dered him,  into  the  hall  of  state,  where  Sachr 
sojourned.  No  sooner  did  he  hear  the  word  of 
God,  w^iich  had  been  revealed  to  Moses,*  than 
he  shrunk  back  into  his  native  form,  and  flew  in 
haste  to  the  shore  of  the  sea,  where  the  signet 
ring  dropped  from  him. 

By  the  providence  of  the  Lord  of  the  universe, 

*  There  is  an  allusion  here  to  the  peculiar  ideas  which  both 
Mohammedans  and  Jews  attach  to  the  recitation  of  scriptural  or 
imagined  sacred  words  and  sentences. 

They  believe  their  bare  reading  or  repetition  valuable : 

1.  As  being  meritorious  before  God,  independent  of  any  reac- 
tion which  it  may  produce  on  their  heart  and  understanding. 

2.  Because  every  letter  is  supposed  to  possess  a  (cabalistic) 
charm  acting  with  resistless  power  upon  spirits,  and  even  upon 
the  Lord  himself.— £.  T. 


the  ring  was  caught  up  and  swallowed  by  a 
fish,  which  was  soon  afterward  driven  into  the 
net  of  the  fisherman  whom  Solomon  served. 
Solomon  received  this  fish  as  the  wages  of  his 
labor,  and  when  he  ate  it  in  the  evening  he 
found  his  ring. 

He  then  commanded  the  winds  to  take  him 
back  to  Jerusalem,  where  he  assembled  around 
him  all  the  chiefs  of  men,  birds,  beasts,  and  spir- 
its, and  related  to  them  all  that  had  befallen  him 
during  the  last  forty  days,  and  how  Allah  had, 
in  a  miraculous  manner,  restored  the  ring  which 
Sachr  had  wilily  usurped. 

He  then  caused  Sachr  to  be  pursued,  and 
forced  him  into  a  copper  flask,  which  he  sealed 
with  his  signet,  and  flung  between  two  rocks 
into  the  Sea  of  Tiberias,  where  he  must  remain 
until  the  day  of  the  resurrection- 

The  government  of  Solomon,  which  after  this 
occurrence  lasted  ten  years,  was  not  clouded 
again  by  misfortune.  Djarada,  the  cause  of  his 
calamity,  he  never  desired  to  see  again,  although 
she  was  now  truly  converted.  But  Queen  Bal- 
kis  he  visited  regularly  every  month  until  the 
day  of  her  death. 

When  she  died,  he  caused  her  remains  to  be 
taken  to  the  city  of  Tadmor,  which  she  had 
founded,  and  buried  her  there.  But  her  grave 
remained  unknown  until  the  reign  of  Calif  Wa- 


244       THE  TOMB  OF  aUEEN  BALKIS. 

lid,  when,  in  consequence  of  long-continued  rains, 
the  walls  of  Tadmor  fell  in,  and  a  stone  coffin 
.was  discovered  sixty  cubits  long  and  forty  wide, 
bearing  this  inscription : 

"  Here  is  the  grave  of  the  pious  Balkis,  the 
Queen  of  Saba  and  consort  of  the  Prophet  Solo- 
mon, the  son  of  David.  She  was  converted  to 
the  true  faith  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  Solomon's 
accession  to  the  throne,  married  him  in  the  14th, 
and  died  on  Monday,  the  second  day  of  Rabi- 
Awwal,  in  the  three-and-twentieth  year  of  his 
reign." 

The  son  of  the  calif  caused  the  lid  of  the  coffin 
to  be  raised  up,  and  discovered  a  female  form, 
which  was  as  fresh  and  well  preserved  as  if  it 
had  but  just  been  buried.  He  immediately  made 
a  report  of  it  to  his  father,  inquiring  what  should 
be  done  with  the  coffin. 

Walid  commanded  that  it  should  be  left  in  the 
place  where  it  was  found,  and  be  so  built  up 
with  marble  stones  that  it  should  never  be  dese- 
crated again  by  human  hands. 

This  command  was  obeyed ;  and,  notwith- 
standing the  many  devastations  and  changes 
which  the  city  of  Tadmor  and  her  walls  have 
suffered,  no  traces  have  been  found  of  the  tomb 
of  Queen  Balkis. 

A  few  months  after  the  death  of  the  Queen 


TIIR    AXGEL    OF    UEATH.  245 

of  Saba,  the  Angel  of  Death  appeared  unto  Solo- 
mon with  six  faces  :  one  to  the  right,  and  one  to 
the  left;  one  in  front,  and  one  behind  ;  one  above 
his  head,  and  one  below  it.  The  king,  who  had 
never  seen  him  in  this  form,  was  startled,  and 
inquired  what  this  sixfold  visage  signified. 

"  With  the  face  to  the  right,"  replied  the  An- 
ge)  of  Death,  "  I  fetch  the  souls  from  the  east ; 
with  that  to  the  left,  the  souls  from  the  west; 
with  that  above,  the  souls  of  the  inhabitants  of 
heaven  ;  with  that  below,  the  demons  from  the 
depths  of  the  earth  ;  with  that  behind,  the  souls 
of  the  people  of  Madjudj  and  Jadjudj  (Gog  and 
Magog)  ;  but  w^ith  that  in  front,  those  of  the 
Faithful,  to  whom  also  thy  soul  belongs." 

"  Must;  then,  even  the  angels  die?" 

"  All  that  lives  becomes  the  prey  of  death  as 
soon  as  Israfil  shall  have  blown  the  trumpet  the 
second  time.  Then  I  shall  put  to  death  even 
Gabriel  and  Michael,  and  immediately  after  that 
must  myself  die,  at  the  command  of  Allah. 
Then  God  alone  remains,  and  exclaims, '  Whose 
is  the  world  V  but  there  shall  not  a  living  crea- 
ture be  left  to  answer  him  !  And  forty  years 
must  elapse,  when  Israfil  shall  be  recalled  to  life, 
that  he  may  blow  his  trumpet  a  third  time,  to 
wake  all  the  dead." 

"  And  who  among  men  shall  rise  first  from  the 
grave  ?" 

X2 


246  THE    LAST    JUDGMENT. 

"  Mohammed,  the  prophet,  who  shall  in  later 
times  spring  from  the  descendants  of  Ismael. 

"Israfil  himself  and  Gabriel,  together  with 
other  angels,  shall  come  to  his  grave  at  Medina, 
and  cry,  '  Thou  purest  and  noblest  of  souls  !  re- 
turn again  to  thy  immaculate  body,  and  revive 
it  again.'  Then  shall  he  rise  from  his  grave, 
and  shake  the  dust  from  his  head.  Gabriel 
greets  him,  and  points  to  the  winged  Borak, 
who  stands  prepared  for  him,  and  to  a  standard 
and  a  crown  which  Allah  sends  him  from  Para- 
dise. The  angel  then  savs  to  him,  'Come  to 
thy  Lord,  and  mine,  thou  elect  among  all  crea- 
tures !  The  gardens  of  Eden  are  festively 
adorned  for  thee  ;  the  houris  await  thee  with 
impatience.'  He  then  lifts  him  upon  Borak, 
places  the  heavenly  standard  in  his  hand,  and 
the  crown  upon  his  head,  and  leads  him  into 
Paradise.  Thereupon  the  rest  of  mankind  shall 
be  called  to  life.  They  shall  ail  be  brought  to 
Palestine,  where  the  great  tribunal  shall  be  held, 
and  where  no  other  intercession  than  that  of  Mo- 
hammed is  accepted.  That  will  be  a  fearful 
day,  when  every  one  shall  think  only  of  himself. 
Adam  will  cry,  '  O  Lord,  save  my  soul  only  !  I 
care  not  for  Eve,  nor  for  Abel.'  Noah  will  ex- 
claim, '  O  Lord,  preserve  me  from  hell,  and  do 
with  Ham  and  Shem  as  thou  pleasest !'  Abra- 
ham shall  say,  '  I  pray  neither  for  Ismael  nor 


fiEVFA'    1!RTD«tES.  *247 

Isaac,  but  for  my  own  safety  only.*  Ev^en  Mo- 
ses shall  forget  his  brother  Aaron,  and  Christ 
his  mother,  so  greatly  shall  they  be  concerned 
for  themselves.  None  but  Mohammed  shall  im- 
plore the  mercy  of  God  for  all  the  faithful  of  his 
people.  They  that  are  risen  will  then  be  con- 
ducted over  the  bridge  Sirat,  which  is  com- 
posed of  seven  bridges,  each  of  which  is  three 
thousand  years  long.  This  bridge  is  as  sharp  as 
a  sword,  and  as  fine  as  a  hair.  One  third  of  it 
is  an  ascent,  one  third  is  even,  and  one  third  is 
a  descent.  He  alone  who  passes  all  these 
bridges  w  ith  success  can  be  admitted  into  Para- 
dise. The  unbelievers  fall  into  hell  from  the 
first  bridge ;  the  prayerless,  from  the  second  ; 
the  uncharitable,  from  the  third ;  whoever  has 
eaten  in  Ramadhan,  from  the  fourth;  whoever 
has  neglected  the  pilgrimage,  from  the  fifth ; 
whoever  hath  not  commended  the  good,  from 
the  sixth ;  and  whoso  hath  not  prevented  evil, 
from  the  seventh." 

"  When  shall  the  resurrection  be  ?" 
"  That  is  known  only  to  Allah  ;  but  assuredly 
not  before  the  advent  of  Mohammed,  the  last  of 
all  prophets.  Previously  to  it  the  prophet  Isa 
(Christ),  sprung  from  thy  own  family,  shall 
preach  the  true  faith,  shall  be  lifted  up  by  Al- 
lah, and  be  born  again.  The  nations  of  Jadjudj 
and  Madjudj  shall  burst  the  wall  behind  which 


248  DEATH    OF    SOLOMON. 

Alexander  has  confined  them.  The  sun  shall 
rise  in  the  west,  and  many  other  signs  and  won- 
ders shall  precede." 

"  Suffer  me  to  live  until  the  completion  of  my 
temple,  for  at  my  death  the  genii  and  demons 
"will  cease  their  labor." 

"  Thy  hour-glass  has  run  out,  and  it  is  not  in 
my  power  to  prolong  thy  life  another  second." 

"  Then  follow  me  to  my  crystal  hall  !" 

The  Angel  of  Death  accompanied  Solomon 
unto  the  hall,  whose  walls  were  entirel}'  of  crys- 
tal. There  Solomon  prayed  ;  and,  leaning  upon 
his  staff,  requested  the  angel  to  take  his  soul  in 
that  position.  The  angel  consented ;  and  his 
death  was  thus  concealed  from  the  demons  a 
whole  year,  till  the  temple  was  finished.  It  was 
not  until  the  staff,  when  destroyed  by  worms, 
broke  down  with  him,  that  his  death  was  ob- 
served by  the  spirits,  who,  in  order  to  revenge 
theniselves,  concealed  all  kinds  of  magical  books 
under  his  throne,  so  that  many  believers  thought 
Solomon  had  been  a  sorcerer.  But  he  was  a 
pure  and  divine  prophet,  as  it  is  written  in  the 
Koran,  "  Solomon  was  no  infidel,  but  the  demons 
were  unbelievers,  and  taught  all  manner  of  sor- 
ceries." When  the  king  was  lying  on  the  ground, 
the  angels  carried  him,  together  with  his  signet 
ring,  to  a  cave,  where  they  shall  guard  him  until 
the  day  of  the  resurrection. 


JOHN,  MARY,  AND  CHRIST. 

There  once  lived  in  Palestine  a  man  named 
Amram  Ibn  Mathan,  who  had  attained  to  a  great 
age  without  being  blessed  with  posterity.  Short- 
ly before  his  death  his  wife  Hanna  prayed  to 
the  Lord  that  he  might  not  suffer  her  to  die  child- 
less. Her  prayer  was  heard,  and  when  she  was 
with  child  she  dedicated  her  offspring  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Lord  ;  but,  contrary  to  her  expec- 
tations, she  gave  birth  to  a  daughter,  whom  she 
named  Mariam  (Mary),  and  was  naturally  in 
doubt  if  her  child  would  be  accepted  as  a  servant 
in  the  temple,  until  an  angel  cried  to  her, "  Allah 
has  accepted  thy  vow,  although  he  knew  before- 
hand that  thou  shouldst  not  give  birth  to  a  son. 
He  has,  moreover,  sanctified  thy  daughter,  as 
well  as  the  man-child  that  shall  be  born  of  her, 
and  will  preserve  him  from  the  touch  of  Satan, 
who  renders  every  other  child  susceptible  of 
sin  from  its  birth  (on  which  account,  also,  all 
children  cry  aloud  when  they  are  born)." 

These  words  comforted  Hanna,  whose  hus- 
band had  died  during  her  pregnancy.  As  soon 
as  she  had  recovered  from  her  childbed,  she 
carried  her  infant  daughter  to  Jerusalem,  and 
presented  her  to  the  priests,  as  a  child  dedi- 
cated to  Allah.  Zachariah,  a  priest  whose  wife 
was  related  to  Hanna,  was  desirous  of  taking  the 


250  ZACHARIAH. 

child  home  with  him  ;  but  the  other  priests,  who 
were  all  eager  for  this  privilege  (for,  on  account 
of  his  piety,  Amram  had  stood  high  in  repute 
among  them),  protested  against  it,  and  forced 
him  to  cast  lots  with  them  for  the  guardianship 
of  Mary.  They  proceeded,  therefore,  twenty- 
nine  in  number,  to  the  Jordan,  and  flung  their 
arrows  into  the  river,  on  the  understanding  that 
he  whose  arrow  should  rise  again,  and  remain 
on  the  water,  should  bring  her  up.  By  the  will 
of  Allah,  the  lot  decided  in  favor  of  Zachariah, 
who  then  built  a  small  chamber  for  Mary  in  the 
Temple,  to  which  no  one  had  access  but  him- 
self; but  when  he  brought  her  some  food,  she 
was  already  supplied,  and  though  it  was  in  win- 
ter, the  choicest  summer  fruits  were  standing  be- 
fore her.  To  his  inquiry  whence  she  had  ob- 
tained it  all,  she  replied, "  From  Allah,  who  sat- 
isfieth  every  one  according  to  his  own  pleasure, 
and  giveth  no  account  of  his  proceedings."* 
When  Zachariah  saw  this,  he  prayed  to  Allah 

*  The  general  defection  of  the  Church  had,  long  before  Mo- 
hammed's time,  spread  into  Arabia,  where  Christianity  had  been 
early  and  extensively  planted. 

Many  heresies  respecting  the  Trinity  and  the  Savior,  the  wor- 
ship of  saints  and  images,  errors  on  the  future  state  of  the  soul, 
&c.,  had  so  completely  overrun  the  nominal  church  of  that  coun- 
try, that  it  is  difficult  to  say  whether  one  particle  of  truth  was 
left  in  it.  More  especially  the  worship  of  Mary  as  the  mother  of 
God,  whom  the  Marianites  considered  as  a  divinity,  and  to  whom 
the  CoUyridians  even  offered  a  stated  sacrifice,  was  in  general 
practice  round  Mohammed ;  and  it  is  as  curious  as  it  is  sad  to 
observe  how  this  idolatry  affected  him, — E>  T. 


UNBELIEF.  251 

to  perform  a  miracle  even  in  his  case,  and  to 
bless  him  with  a  son,  notwithstanding  his  ad- 
vanced age.  Then  Gabried  called  to  him,  "  Al- 
lah will  give  thee  a  son,  who  shall  be  called 
Jahja  (John),  and  bear  testimony  to  the  Word 
of  God"  (Christ).  Zachariah  went  down  to  his 
house  filled  with  joy,  and  related  to  his  wife 
what  the  angel  had  announced  to  him ;  but  as 
she  was  already  ninety-and-eight  years  of  age, 
and  her  husband  one  hundred  and  twenty,  she 
laughed  at  him,  so  that  at  length  he  himself  be- 
gan to  doubt  the  fulfillment  of  the  promise,  and 
asked  a  sign  from  Allah. 

"  As  the  punishment  of  thy  unbelief,"  cried 
Gabriel  unto  him,  "  thou  shalt  be  speechless  for 
three  days,  and  let  this  serve  thee  as  the  sign 
thou  hast  required." 

On  the  following  morning,  Zachariah,  as  usual, 
desired  to  lead  in  prayer,  but  was  unable  to  utter 
a  single  sound  until  the  fourth  day,  when  his 
tongue  was  loosed,  and  he  besought  Allah  to 
pardon  him  and  his  wife. 

Then  there  came  a  voice  from  heaven,  which 
said,  "  Your  sin  is  forgiven,  and  Allah  will  give 
yo-u  a  son,  who  shall  surpass  in  purity  and  holi- 
ness all  the  men  of  his  time.  Blessed  be  he  in 
the  day  of  his  birth,  as  well  as  in  those  of  his 
death  and  resurrection." 

Within  a  year's  time  Zachariah  became  the 
fiUher  of  a  child,  which,  even  at  its  birth,  had  a 


252  MARY. 

holy  and  venerable  appearance.  He  now  di- 
vided his  time  between  him  and  Mary ;  and 
John  in  the  house  of  his  father,  and  Mary  in  the 
Temple,  grew  up  like  two  fair  flowers,  to  the  joy 
of  all  believers,  daily  increasing  in  wisdom  and 
piety. 

When  Mary  had  grown  to  womanhood,  there 
appeared  to  her  one  day,  while  she  was  alone 
in  her  cell,  Gabriel,  in  full  human  form. 

Mary  hastily  covered  herself  with  her  veil, 
and  cried,  "  Most  Merciful !  assist  me  against 
this  man." 

But  Gabriel  said,  "  Fear  nothing  from  me :  I 
am  the  messenger  of  thy  Lord,  who  has  exalted 
thee  above  all  the  women  of  earth,  and  am  come 
to  make  known  to  thee  his  will.  Thou  shalt 
bear  a  son,  and  call  him  Isa,  the  Blessed  One. 
He  shall  speak  earlier  than  all  other  children, 
and  be  honored  both  in  this  world  and  in  the 
world  to  come  !" 

"  How  shall  I  bear  a  son,"  replied  Mary,  af- 
frighted, "  since  I  have  not  known  a  man  ?" 

"  It  is  even  so,"  replied  Gabriel.  "  Did  not 
Allah  create  Adam  without  either  father  or 
mother,  merely  by  his  word,  •  Be  thou  created  V 
Thy  son  shall  be  a  sign  of  His  omnipotence, 
and  as  His  prophet,  restore  the  backsliding  sons 
of  Israel  to  the  path  of  righteousness." 

When  Gabriel  had  thn*?  spoken,  he  raised  with 


BIRTH    OF    CHRIST.  253 

his  finger  Mary's  robe  from  her  bosom,  and 
breathed  upon  her. 

Thereupon  she  ran  into  the  field,  and  had 
scarcely  time  to  support  herself  on  the  withered 
trunk  of  a  date-tree  before  she  was  deHvered  of 
a  son.  Then  cried  she, "  Oh  that  I  had  died,  and 
been  forgotten  long  ere  this,  rather  than  that  the 
suspicion  of  having  sinned  should  fall  upon  me  !" 

Gabriel  appeared  again  to  her,  and  said,  "Fear 
nothing,  Mary.  Behold,  the  Lord  causes  a 
fountain  of  fresh  water  to  gush  forth  from  the 
earth  at  thy  feet,  and  the  trunk  on  which  thou 
leanest  is  blossoming  even  now,  and  fresh  dates 
are  covering  its  withered  branches.  Eat  and 
drink,  and  when  thou  art  satisfied,  return  to  thy 
people  ;  and  if  any  one  shall  inquire  of  thee  re- 
specting thy  child,  be  thou  silent,  and  leave  thy 
defense  to  Him." 

Mary  plucked  a  few  dates,  which  tasted  like 
frui^  from  Paradise,  drank  from  the  fountain, 
whose  water  was  even  like  milk,  and  then  went, 
with  her  child  in  her  arms,  unto  her  family  ;  but 
all  the  people  cried  out  to  her,  "  Mary,  what  hast 
thou  done  ?  Thy  father  was  so  pious,  and  thy 
mother  so  chaste  !" 

Mary,  instead  of  replying,  pointed  to  the  child. 

Then  said  her  relations,  "  Shall  this  new-born 
child  answer  us?" 

But  Jesus  said,  "Do  not  sin  in  suspecting  my 
Y 


254  MIRACLES*. 

mother.     Allah  has  created  me  by  his  word,  and 
has  chosen  me  to  be  his  servant  and  prophet." 

But,  notwithstanding  all  these  wonders,  the 
sons  of  Israel  would  not  believe  in  Christ  when, 
at  the  age  of  manhood,  he  proclaimed  to  them 
the  Gospel  which  Allah  had  revealed  to  him. 
He  was  derided  and  despised  because  he  called 
himself  "  the  Word  and  the  Spirit  of  Allah,"  and 
was  challenged  to  perform  new  miracles  in  the 
sight  of  the  whole  people. 

Christ  then  created,  at  the  will  of  Allah,  vari- 
ous kinds  of  birds  out  of  clay,  which  he  animated 
with  his  breath,  so  that  they  ate  and  drank,  and 
flew  up  and  down  like  natural  birds.*  He 
healed  in  one  day  by  his  prayer  fifty  thousand 
blind  and  leprous  persons,  whose  cure  the  best 
physicians  of  those  times  had  been  unable  to  ef- 
fect. He  recovered  many  dead,  who,  after  he 
had  recalled  them  to  life,  married  again,  and  had 
children,  and  even  raised  up  Sam,  the  son  of 
Noah,  who,  however,  died  again  immediately. 
But  he  not  only  revived  men,  but  even  isolated 
parts  and  limbs.     During  his  wanderings,  he  one 

*  In  the  original,  it  is  said,  Christ  was  able  to  tell  the  people 
what  food  they  had  taken,  and  what  provisions  they  had  laid  up 
in  store.  This  whole  legend  shows  how  painfully  deceived  Mo- 
hammed was  by  those  who  spoke  to  him  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
but  if,  even  with  his  knowledge,  he  believed  Him  to  have  been  a 
great  prophet,  would  he  not  have  believed  in  his  divinity  if  he  had 
iead  the  Go?peIs  ■ 


THE    riKULL.  200 

day  found  a  skull  near  the  Dead  Sea,  and  his 
disciples  asked  him  to  recall  it  to  life.  Christ 
prayed  to  Allah,  and  then,  turning  to  the  skull, 
said,  "  Live,  by  the  will  of  the  Lord,  and  tell  us 
how  thou  hast  found  death,  the  grave,  and  the 
future  state  !" 

The  skull  then  assumed  the  form  of  a  living 
head,  and  said,  "  Know  thou,  O  Prophet  of  Al- 
lah !  that  about  four  thousand  years  ago,  after 
taking  a  bath,  I  fell  into  a  fever,  which,  notwith- 
standing all  the  medicines  which  were  given  me, 
continued  seven  days.  On  the  eighth  day  I  was 
so  entirely  exhausted  that  all  my  limbs  trembled, 
and  my  tongue  cleaved  to-the  roof  of  my  mouth. 
Then  there  came  to  me  the  Angel  of  Death  in  a 
terrible  shape.  His  head  touched  the  sky,  while 
his  feet  stood  in  the  lowest  depths  of  the  earth. 
He  held  a  sword  in  his  right  hand,  and  a  cup  in 
his  left,  and  there  were  ten  other  angels  with  him, 
whom  I  took  to  be  his  servants.  I  would  have 
shrieked  so  loudly  at  their  sight  that  the  inhabi- 
tants of  heaven  and  of  earth  must  have  been  pet- 
rified ;  but  the  angels  fell  on  me,  and  held  my 
tongue,  and  some  of  them  pressed  my  veins,  so 
as  to  force  out  my  soul.  Then  said  I, '  Exalted 
spirits,  I  will  give  all  that  I  possess  for  my  life.' 
But  one  of  them  struck  me  in  the  face,  and  al 
most  shattered  my  jaw-bone,  saying, '  Enemy  of 
Allah  !  He  accepts  no  ransom.'  The  Angel  of 
Death  then  placed  his  sword  upon  niv  throat. 


256  THE    SKULL. 

and  gave  me  the  cup,  which  I  was  forced  to 
empty  to  the  dregs,  and  this  was  my  death.  My 
consciousness  now  lost,  I  was  washed,  wrapped 
in  a  shroud,  and  interred  ;  but  when  my  grave 
was  covered  with  earth,  my  soul  returned  to  my 
body,  and  I  was  sorely  afraid  in  my  solitude. 
But  soon  there  came  two  angels,  with  a  parch- 
ment in  their  hands,  and  told  unto  me  all  the  good 
and  all  the  bad  that  I  had  done  while  living  in  the 
body,  and  I  was  compelled  to  write  it  down  with 
my  own  hand,  and  to  attest  it  by  my  own  signa- 
ture ;  whereupon  they  suspended  the  scroll  on 
my  neck,  and  vanished.  There  then  appeared 
two  other  dark  blue  angels,  each  with  a  column 
of  fire  in  his  hand,  one  single  spark  of  which,  if 
it  had  dropped  on  the  earth,  would  have  con- 
sumed it.  They  called  to  me,  in  a  voice  like 
thunder,  *  Who  is  thy  Lord  V  Overcome  with 
fright,  I  lost  my  senses,  and  said,  shudderingly, 
*  You  are  my  lords  ;'  but  they  cried, '  Thou  liest, 
enemy  of  Allah  !'  and  struck  me  a  blow  with  the 
column  of  fire  that  sent  me  down  to  the  seventh 
earth ;  but  as  soon  as  I  returned  again  to  my 
grave,  they  said, '  O  Earth  !  punish  the  man  who 
has  been  rebellious  against  his  Lord.'  Instantly 
the  earth  crushed  me,  so  that  my  bones  were 
almost  ground  to  powder ;  and  she  said, '  Enemy 
of  God  !  I  hated  thee  while  thou  didst  tread  my 
surface,  but,  by  the  glory  of  Allah,  I  will  avenge 
me  now,  while  thou  art  lying  ip  my  bowels.' 


TflR    SKUIJ-  257 

The  angels  then  opened  one  of  the  gateways  of 
hel],  and  cried,  '  Take  this  smner,  who  did  not 
beheve  in  Allah  ;  boil  and  burn  him.'  There- 
upon I  was  dragged  into  the  center  of  hell  by  a 
chain  which  was  seventy  cubits  in  length,  and 
as  often  as  the  flames  consumed  my  skin  I  re- 
ceived a  fresh  one,  but  only  to  suffer  anew  the 
torments  of  burning.  At  the  same  time,  I  was 
so  hungry  that  I  prayed  for  food  ;  but  I  only  ob- 
tained the  putrefied  fruit  of  the  tree  Sakum, 
which  not  merely  increased  my  hunger,  but  even 
caused  the  most  horrid  pain  and  violent  thirst ; 
and  when  1  asked  for  something  to  drink,  noth- 
ing but  boiling  water  was  given  me.  At  last 
they  urged  one  end  of  the  chain  with  such  vio- 
lence into  my  mouth,  that  it  came  out  through 
my  back,  and  chained  me  hand  and  foot." 

When  Christ  heard  this,  he  wept  with  com- 
passion, but  demanded  of  the  skull  to  describe 
hell  more  minutely. 

"  Know,  then,"  continued  the  skull,  "  O  Proph- 
et of  Allah  !  that  hell  consists  of  seven  floors, 
one  below  the  other.  The  uppermost  is  for 
hypocrites,  the  second  for  Jews,  the  third  for 
Christians,  the  fourth  for  the  Magi,  the  fifth  for 
those  who  call  the  prophets  liars,  the  sixth  for 
idolaters,  and  the  seventh  for  the  sinners  of  the 
people  of  the  prophet  Mohammed,  who  shall  ap- 
pear in  later  times.  The  last-mentioned  abode 
17  Y  2 


258  THE    SKULL. 

is  least  terrible,  and  sinners  are  saved  from  it 
through  the  intercession  of  Mohammed  ;  but  in 
the  others  the  torture  and  agony  are  so  great, 
that  if  thou,  O  Prophet  of  Allah  !  shouldst  but 
see  it,  thou  wouldst  weep  with  compassion  as  a 
woman  who  has  lost  her  only  child.  The  outer 
part  of  hell  is  of  copper,  and  the  inner  part  of 
lead.  Its  floor  is  punishment,  and  the  wrath  of 
the  Almighty  its  ceiling.  The  walls  are  of  fire, 
not  clear  and  luminous,  but  black  fire,  and  dif- 
fusing a  close,  disgusting  stench,  being  fed  with 
men  and  idols." 

Christ  wept  long,  and  then  inquired  of  the 
skull  to  which  family  he  belonged  during  lifetime. 

He  replied,  "  I  am  a  descendant  of  the  Proph- 
et Elias !" 

"  And  what  desirest  thou  now  ?" 

"  That  Allah  would  recall  me  to  life,  that  1 
might  serve  him  with  my  whole  heart,  so  as  one 
day  to  be  worthy  of  Paradise  !" 

Christ  prayed  to  Allah,  "  O  Lord  !  thou  know- 
est  this  man  and  me  better  than  we  know  our 
selves,  and  art  omnipotent." 

Then  Allah  said  to  him,  "  I  had  long  ago  re 
solved  upon  that  which  he  desires ;  since,  in 
deed,  he  had  many  excellences,  and  was  espe- 
cially benevolent  to  the  poor,  he  may  return  to 
the  world  through  thy  intercession ;  and  if  he 
serve  me  henceforward  faithfully,  all  his  sins 
shall  be  forgiven." 


THE    SKULL.  259 

Christ  cried  unto  the  skull,  "  Be  again  a  per- 
fect man,  through  the  omnipotence  of  God  !"  and 
while  the  words  were  still  on  his  lips,  there  rose 
up  a  man  who  looked  more  blooming  than  in 
his  former  life,  and  cried,  "  I  confess  that  there 
is  but  one  God,  and  that  Abraham  was  his  friend ; 
Moses  saw  him  face  to  face,  Isa  is  his  spirit  and 
word,  and  Mohammed  shall  be  his  last  and 
greatest  messenger.  I  confess,  moreover,  that 
the  resurrection  is  as  certain  as  death,  and  that 
hell  and  Paradise  do  really  exist." 

This  man  lived  sixty-and-six  years  after  his  re- 
suscitation, and  spent  his  days  in  fasting  and  his 
nights  in  prayer ;  nor  did  he  alienate  a  single  mo- 
ment from  the  service  of  the  Lord  until  he  died. 

But  the  more  wonders  Christ  performed  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  the  people,  the  greater  was  their 
unbelief;  for  all  that  they  were  not  able  to  com- 
prehend they  believed  to  be  sorcery  and  delu- 
sion, instead  of  perceiving  therein  a  proof  of  his 
divine  mission.  Even  the  twelve  apostles  whom 
he  had  chosen  to  propagate  the  new  doctrine 
were  not  steadfast  in  the  faith,  and  asked  of 
him  one  day  that  he  might  cause  a  table,  cover- 
ed with  viands,  to  descend  from  heaven  ! 

"A  table  shall  be  given  you,"  said  a  voice  from 
heaven,  "but  whosoever  shall  thereafter  contin- 
ue in  unbelief  shall  suffer  severe  punishment." 

Thereupon  there  descended  two  clouds,  with 


260  MIRACLES?. 

a  golden  table,  on  which  there  stood  a  covered 
dish  of  silver. 

Many  of  the  Israelites  who  were  present  ex- 
claimed, "  Behold  the  sorcerer !  what  new  de- 
lusion  has  he  wrought?"      But  these  scoffers 
were   instantly  changed  into   swine.     And  on 
seeing  it,  Christ  prayed,  "  O  Lord  !  let  this  table 
lead  us  to  salvation  and  not  to  ruin  !"     Then  said 
he  to  the  apostles,  "  Let  him  who  is  the  greatest 
among  you  rise  and  uncover  this  dish."     But  Si- 
mon, the  oldest  apostle,  said,  "  Lord,  thou  art  the 
most  worthy  to  behold  this  heavenly  food  first." 
Christ  then  washed  his  hands,  removed  the  cover, 
and  said,  "  In  the  name  of  Allah  !"  and  behold, 
there  became  visible  a  large   baked   fish,  with 
neither  bones  nor  scales,  which  diffused  a  fra- 
grance around  like  the  fruits  of  Paradise.    Round 
the  fish  there  lay  five  small  loaves,  and  on  it  salt, 
pepper,  and  other  spices.     "  Spirit  of  Allah,"  said 
Simon,  "are   these  viands   from  this  world  or 
from  the  other  ?"     But  Christ  replied,  "  Are  not 
both  worlds,  and  all  that  they  contain,  the  work 
of  the  Lord  ?     Receive  whatever  he  has  given 
with  grateful   hearts,  and   ask  not  whence   it 
comes  !     But  if  the  appearance  of  this  fish  be  not 
sufficiently  miraculous  to  you,  you  shall  behold 
a  still  greater  sign."     Then,  turning  to  the  fish, 
he  said,  "  Live  1  by  the  will  of  the  Lord  !"     The 
fish  then  began  to  stir  and  to  move,  so  that  the 
apostles  fied  with  fear.     But  Christ  called  them 


MIRACLES.  261 

back,  and  said,  "Why  do  you  flee  from  that 
which  you  have  desired  ?"  He  then  called  to 
the  fish,  "  Be  again  what  thou  wast  before  !"  and 
immediately  it  lay  there  as  it  had  come  down 
from  heaven:  The  disciples  then  prayed  Christ 
that  he  might  eat  of  it  first ;  but  he  replied,  "  I 
have  not  lusted  for  it:  he  that  has  lusted  for  it, 
let  him  eat  of  it  now."  But  when  the  disciples 
refused  to  eat  of  it,  because  they  now  saw  that 
their  request  had  been  sinful,  Christ  called  many 
aged  men — many  deaf,  sick,  blind,  and  lame,  and 
invited  them  to  eat  of  the  fish.  There  now  came 
thirteen  hundred,  which  ate  of  the  fish,  and  were 
satisfied  ;  but  whenever  one  piece  was  cut  off 
from  the  fish,  another  grew  again  in  its  place, 
so  that  it  still  lay  there  entire  as  if  no  one  had 
touched  it.  The  guests  were  not  only  satisfied, 
but  even  healed  of  all  their  diseases.  The  aged 
became  young,  the  blind  saw,  the  deaf  heard, 
the  dumb  spake,  and  the  lame  regained  their  vig- 
orous limbs.  When  the  apostles  saw  this,  they 
regretted  that  they  had  not  eaten  ;  and  whoever 
beheld  ihe  men  that  had  been  cured  and  invigo- 
rated thereby,  regretted  in  like  manner  not  to 
have  shared  in  the  repast.  When,  therefore,  at 
the  prayer  of  Christ,  a  similar  table  descended 
again  from  heaven,  the  whole  people,  rich  and 
poor,  young  and  old,  sick  and  whole,  came  to  be 
refreshed  by  these  heavenly  viands.  This  lasted 
during  forty  days.     At  the  dawn  of  day,  the 


262  MIRACLES. 

table,  borne  on  the  clouds,  descended  in  the  iacu 
of  the  sons  of  Israel,  and  before  sunset  it  gradu- 
ally rose  up  again,  until  it  vanished  behind  the 
clouds ;  but  as,  notwithstanding  this,  many  still 
doubted  whether  it  really  came  from  heaven, 
Christ  prayed  no  longer  for  its  return,  and  threat- 
ened the  unbelievers  with  the  punishment  of  the 
Lord.  Nevertheless,  in  the  hearts  of  the  apos- 
tles every  doubt  respecting  the  mission  of  their 
Lord  was  removed,  and  they  traveled  partly  in 
his  company,  partly  alone,  through  the  whole  of 
Palestine,  preaching  the  faith  in  Allah  and  his 
prophet  Christ,  and,  according  to  the  new  reve- 
lation, permitting  the  eating  of  many  things 
which  had  been  prohibited  to  the  sons  of  Israel. 
But  when  he  would  have  sent  them  to  teach 
his  Gospel  even  in  distant  countries,  they  ex- 
cused themselves  with  their  ignorance  of  foreign 
tongues.  Christ  complained  of  their  disobedi- 
ence before  the  Lord  ;  and  behold,  on  the  follow- 
ing day  his  disciples  had  forgotten  their  own 
language,  and  every  one  knew  only  the  language 
of  the  people  unto  which  Christ  desired  to  send 
him,  so  that  they  had  no  longer  anv  reason  to 
disobey  his  commands. 

But  while  the  true  faith  found  many  followers 
abroad,  the  hatred  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  but  espe- 
cially of  the  priests  and  the  heads  of  the  people, 
toward  Christ,  daily  waxed  in  rancor,  until  at 
last,  when  he  had  attained  the  age  of  thirty-and- 


LAST    HOURS.  263 

three  years,  they  sought  to  take  his  hfe ;  but 
Allah  overthrew  their  plans,  and  raised  him  to 
heaven  unto  himself,  while  another  man,  whom 
Allah  had  caused  to  have  a  perfect  resemblance 
to  him,  was  put  to  death  in  his  stead. 

The  farther  particulars  of  the  last  moments  of 
this  prophet  are  variously  narrated  by  the  learn- 
ed, but  most  of  them  run  as  follows :  On  the 
evening  before  the  Passover  feast,  the  Jews  took 
Christ  captive,  together  with  his  apostles,  and 
shut  them  up  in  a  house,  with  the  intention  of 
putting  Christ  publicly  to  death  on  the  following 
morning.  But  in  the  night  Allah  revealed  to 
him,  "  Thou  shalt  receive  death  from  me,  but  im- 
mediately afterward  be  raised  up  to  heaven,  and 
be  delivered  from  the  power  of  the  unbelievers." 
Christ  gave  up  his  spirit,  and  remained  dead  for 
the  space  of  three  hours.  In  the  fourth  hour  the 
angel  Gabriel  appeared,  and  raised  him  unper- 
ceived  by  any  through  a  window  into  heaven. 
But  an  unbelieving  Jew,  who  had  stolen  into  the 
house  to  watch  Christ  that  he  might  by  no  means 
escape,  became  so  like  him  that  even  the  apos- 
tles themselves  took  him  to  be  their  prophet. 
He  it  was  who,  as  soon  as  the  day  dawned,  was 
chained  by  the  Jews  and  led  through  the  streets 
of  Jerusalem,  every  body  crying  to  him,  "  Hast 
thou  not  revived  the  dead  !  Why  shouldst  thou 
not  be  able  to  break  thy  fetters  ?"  Many  prick- 
ed him  with  rods  of  thorn,  others  spit  in  his  face, 


204  LAST    HOURS. 

until  he  at  last  arrived  at  the  place  of  execution, 
where  he  was  crucified,  for  no  one  would  believe 
that  he  was  not  the  Christ. 

But  when  Mary  had  wellnigh  succumbed  from 
grief  at  the  shameful  death  of  her  supposed  son, 
Christ  appeared  to  her  from  heaven,  and  said, 
**  Mourn  not  for  me,  for  Allah  has  taken  me  to 
himself,  and  we  shall  be  reunited  in  the  day  of 
the  resurrection.  Comfort  my  disciples,  and  tell 
them  that  it  is  well  with  me  in  heaven,  and  that 
they  shall  obtain  a  place  beside  me  if  they  con- 
tinue steadfast  in  the  faith.  Hereafter,  at  the 
approach  of  the  last  day,  I  shall  be  sent  again 
upon  the  earth,  when  I  shall  slay  the  false  proph- 
et Dadjal  and  the  wild  boar  (both  of  which  cause 
similar  distress  in  the  earth),  and  such  a  state  of 
peace  and  unity  shall  ensue,  that  the  lamb  and 
the  hyena  shall  feed  like  brothers  beside  each 
other.  /  shall  then  hum  the  Gospel,  which  has 
been  falsified  hy  ungodly  priests,  and  the  crosses 
which  they  have  loorshiped  as  gods,  and  subject 
the  whole  earth  to  the  doctrines  of  Mohammed, 
who  shall  be  sent  in  later  times."  When  Christ 
had  thus  spoken,  he  was  once  more  lifted  on  a 
cloud  to  heaven.  But  Mary  lived  yet  six  years 
in  the  faith  of  Allah,  and  of  Christ  her  son,  and 
of  the  prophet  Mohammed,  whom  both  Christ 
as  well  as  Moses  before  him  had  proclaimed. 
The  peace  of  Allah  be  upon  them  all ! 

THE    END. 


HARPER'S    NEW    MISDELLANY 

OF 

POPULAR  STERLING  LITERATURE. 

"  Books  that  have  an  aim  and  meaning  in  them." 

Now  in  course  of  publication,  a  new  and  attractive  library 
of  sterling  books,  elegantly  printed  in  duodecimo,  on  tine 
paper,  and  bound  in  extra  muslin  gilt,  fitted  for  permanent 
preservation. 

PRICE   FIFTY   CENTS  A  VOLUME. 

The  cheapest  Popular  Series  of  Works  yet  Published. 


Elements  of  Morality  and  Polity. 

BY    WILLIAM    WHEWELL,     D.D., 

AUTHOR    OF   "  HISTORY   AND   PHILOSOPHY   OF    THE    INDUCTIVE    SCIEN 

CES,"    &C. 

2  vols.  12mo,  Muslin,  extra  gilt,  $1  00. 

Dr.  Whewell's  work  ought  to  be  read,  because  it  can  not  be  read  without 
advantage  :  the  age  requires  such  books. — London  Athenmum, 

A  text-book  of  simple  truths,  from  which,  by  induction,  a  complete  sys- 
tem of  morality  is  constructed,  applicable  to  all  the  relations  and  circum- 
stances of  life,  and  embracing  every  department  of  human  action.  The 
reader  who  shall  carefully  study  these  volumes — and  a  more  inviting  page, 
clear  and  legible,  the  eye  does  not  often  rest  upon — will  find  his  labor  more 
than  rewarded. — ^ew  York  Commercial  Advertiser. 

Professor  Whewell's  "  Elements  of  Morality"  have  been  universally  re- 
ceived in  England  as  a  contribution  of  rare  value  to  the  department  of  moral 
and  political  science. — Baltimore  American. 

A  splendid  production  by  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  scientific 
men  of  the  age.  This  is  a  book,  not  to  be  read  merelj',  but  to  be  re-perused 
and  patiently  studied  ;  we  have  heard  it  pronounced  by  no  mean  critic  the 
most  complete  and  lucid  work  on  ethical  philosophy  ever  produced.  We 
commend  this  work  to  the  especial  notice  of  thinkers  and  readers,  to  schol- 
ars and  schools  generally,  as  a  most  admirable  text-book. — Sun. 

The  style  of  the  work,  though  simple,  is  extremely  clear,  strong,  dnd  el- 
oquent. It  is  a  book  to  be  studied  rather  than  superficially  read,  and  can 
not  fail  to  be  of  the  very  highest  importance  in  instructing  and  disciplining 
the  public  mind. — American  Patriot. 

This  is  beyond  all  comparison  the  most  complete,  comprehensive,  and  lu- 
minous treatise  on  the  important  subjects  it  discusses,  that  is  to  be  found 
in  the  language,  and  its  careful  study  is  indispensable  to  every  one  who 
would  obtain  true  and  definite  notions  in  regard  to  the  principles  of  public 
and  private  morals.  It  is  profoundly  learned  and  philosophical,  but  the  writ- 
er thinks  log>cally  and  clearly,  and  is  therefore  at  all  times  lucid  and  coia- 
prehensible. — Buffalo  Commercial  Advertiser. 


X  HARPERS    NEW    MISCELLANY 

III. 

The  Philosophy  of  Mystery, 

BY    WALTER    COOPER     D  E  N  D  Y. 

12mo,  Muslin,  extra  gilt,  50  cents. 

This  is  a  learned  and  elaborate  work,  in  which  the  writer  goes  into  the 
investigation  of  all  the  phenomena  of  mind  in  the  erratic  operations  and 
phantasies  of  ghost  seeing  and  spectral  hallucinations,  and  aims  to  give  the 
true  philosophy  of  all  such  delusions.  He  is  a  medical  man  of  consider- 
able eminence,  and  has  spared  no  pains  in  his  researches,  giving  a  great 
number  of  facts  and  cases  to  illustrate  his  philosophy.  The  volume  will  be 
much  sought  for,  as  it  is  really  a  desideratum  in  the  world  of  literature. 
We  know  of  no  work  on  this  subject  which  lays  the  same  just  claim  to  public 
attention,  or  the  study  of  the  philosopher. — Christian  Advocate  and  Journal. 

The  volume  before  us  is  both  instructive  and  amusing,  and  at  this  partic- 
ular tune,  when  the  extremes  of  superstition  and  philosophy  have  shaken 
hands,  it  will  be  likely  to  effect  an  inconceivable  amount  of  good,  if  prop- 
erly studied.  It  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  productions  of  the  day,  and 
must  create  an  extraordinary  degree  of  interest  in  the  public  mind. — Mer- 
chant's Magazine. 

It  belongs  to  that  class  of  writings  which  you  can  take  up  and  put  down 
at  pleasure,  and  which  may  be  subjected  to  repeated  readings.  The  work 
is  pleasant,  however,  in  spite  of  this— pleasant  because  of  its  facts,  its  nu- 
merous details  of  mystery,  its  vast  collection  of  anecdote,  its  developments 
of  diablerie,  its  tidings  from  the  spiritual  world,  and  the  many  cases  which 
it  brings  together  of  the  curious  and  the  wonderful  in  nature  and  art,  which 
former  ages,  and  ignorance  and  superstition,  have  concluded  to  consider  su- 
pernatural. Where  science  and  modern  speculation  furnish  the  solution  to 
the  mystery,  Mr.  Dendy  couples  it  with  the  statements,  and  the  book  is 
thus  equally  valuable  and  amusing. — Charleston  Transcript. 

Here  lies  a  remarkable  work ;  beautiful  in  its  style,  and  wondrous  in  its 
matter.  The  work  is  strictly  philosophical  in  its  tendency,  yet  more  amus- 
ing than  a  novel. — True  American. 

This  is  a  book  for  the  lovers  of  marvels  and  of  mysteries.  It  contains  an 
immense  collection  of  anecdotes  of  spectral  apparitions,  of  illusions  of  vision 
or  of  hearing,  of  striking  phenomena  exhibited  in  dreams,  in  insanity,  in 
trance,  or  in  magnetism,  and  furnishes  many  very  valuable  hints  to  aid  in 
the  solution  of  these  mysteries,  by  which  so  many  have  been  bewildered 
or  affrighted.  Ir.  is  written  in  a  style  of  great  ease  and  elegance,  and  can 
not  fail  to  find  a  very  wide  circle  of  welcoming  readers. — Albion. 

This  unique  and  remarkable  book  has  just  been  placed  on  our  table  ;  we 
know  its  reputation  of  old  ;  it  is  an  admirable  discourse  on  the  subject  of 
supeniaturalisins,  such  as  mental  illusions,  dreams,  ghosts,  mesmeric  phe- 
nomena, &c.  If  any  one  will  but  read  the  first  half  dozen  pages,  we  will 
vouch  for  it  he  will  not  neglect  the  rest  of  the  volume  :  it  is  one  of  the  best 
written  books  on  one  of  the  most  curious  range  of  topics  that  could  engage 
the  pen  of  a  writer,  or  the  attention  of  a  reader.  It  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the 
most  curious  volumes  ever  perused,  upon  a  series  of  the  most  singular  sub- 
jects, and,  in  this  new  and  neat  form,  it  will  command  a  vast  number  of 
readers. — Sunday  Times, 

"  The  Philosophy  of  Mystery"  is  an  exceedingly  able  work  ;  far  better, 
we  think,  than  the  "  Natural  Magic"  of  Brewster,  a  book  of  identical  pur- 
pose, carried  out  in  a  totally  different  way.  The  "  Natural  Magic"  is  the 
more  ratiocinative,  Mr.  Dendy's  essay  the  more  poetical,  the  more  imagina- 
tive, and  to  us  the  more  interesting-. — National  Press. 


OF    POPULAR    STERLING    LITERATURE.  3 

IV. 

The  Life  of  Mozart  : 

INCLUDING    HIS     CORRESPONDENCE. 
BY    EDWARD    HOLMES, 

AUTHOR   OF   "a    RAMBLE    AMONG     THE     MUSICIANS    OF    GERMANY,"    &C. 

12mo,  Muslin,  extra  gilt,  50  cents. 

It  is  written  in  a  beautiful,  narrative  style,  and  can  not  but  be  every 
where  acceptable.  To  all  who  appreciate  the  extraordinary  genius  of  Mo- 
zart, the  delicate  structure  of  his  mind,  the  incidents  of  his'life,  and  his  ro- 
mantic death,  this  volume  will  indeed  be  a  treasure.— Boston  Gazette. 

It  contains,  in  addition  to  much  of  his  interesting  correspondence,  and 
otherpapers,  a  detailed  account  of  his  life,  adventures,  and  rise  as  an  artist, 
and  a  discriminating  sketch  of  his  character,  the  peculiarities  of  which  are 
happily  illustrated  by  anecdotes.  Many  things  of  him,  unknown  even  to 
his  admirers,  are  here  given  to  the  world,  and  his  biographer,  fully  appre- 
ciating the  artist,  has  yet,  not  like  a  flatterer,  but  with  true  independence, 
spoken  candidly  of  the  faults  of  the  man. — Merchant's  Magazine. 

Of  this  far-famed  life  of  Mozart  it  >s  scarcely  necessary  for  us  to  say  a 
word  ;  the  foreign  reviews  have  been  so  unanimous  in  their  encomiums, 
that  we  suppose  few  will  be  found  insensible  to  the  strong  inducement  of 
its  perusal,  especially  as  the  work  may  be  obtained  at  the  trifling  cost  of 
half  a  dollar,  and  in  so  beautiful  a  guise.  We  have  looked  into  the  biog- 
raphy but  slightly,  yet  find  it  redolent  with  interest,  and  fully  sustaining 
the  high  estimate  placed  upon  the  work  by  the  London  Athenaum  and 
Blackwood.  If  the  Harpers  continue  to  fill  their  new  library  with  sterling 
works  like  the  present,  it  will  present  the  most  truly  valuable  series,  yet 
the  cheapest,  ever  attempted  in  any  age  or  country. — Evening  Gazette. 

The  only  authentic  biography  of  the  great  composer  that  is  extant  in  the 
English  language,  and  the  events  of  his  career  are  replete  with  useful  ad- 
monitions and  warning  to  the  sons  of  genius,  and  they  whisper  to  those 
whose  present  claims  are  not  allowed  that  there  is  a  future  full  of  promise. 
In  his  life  Mozart  was  neglected  and  impoverished,  and  he  went  to  his 
grave  with  more  than  the  bitterness  of  death  crowding  on  his  thoughts, 
but  fame  has  taken  possession  of  his  memory,  and  among  those  who  move 
as  gods  in  musical  art,  few  are  equal  to  him,  none  are  superior.  This  bi- 
ography possesses  an  interest  for  all  who  feel  interested  in  the  great  men 
of  the  earth.  It  is  not  only  remarkably  well  written,  but  has  a  complete- 
ness about  it  we  have  never  found  before  in  any  life  oi  MoiVkXt.  — Louisville 
Journal. 

There  is  such  a  charm  in  this  narrative,  that  the  lovers  of  good  biography 
can  not  hear  of  it  too  soon.  We  can  not  conceive  a  more  fascinating  story 
of  genius.  To  a  style  which  would  alone  have  sufficed  to  the  production 
of  an  interesting  and  striking  narrative,  Mr.  Holmes  unites  a  depth  of 
knowledge  and  musical  appreciation  very  rare  and  remarkable.  We  thank 
him  cordially  for  a  most  pleasing  addition  to  our  standard  biographical  lit- 
erature . — Examiner. 

The  book  is  one  of  extraordinary  interest,  not  merely  to  the  lovers  of 
music  and  appreciators  of  the  great  composer,  but  to  the  general  reader,  as 
a  vivid  picture  of  the  life  of  a  man  of  genius,  who  encountered  all  the  dif- 
ficulties, trials,  and  suff'erings  usually  the  lot  of  genius  when  it  comes  be- 
fore a  world  incapable  of  appreciating  it,  and  indifl'erent  to  its  welfare.  The 
domestic  portions  of  the  book  are  invaluable  ;  his  relations  to  his  father  and 
his  wife  are  very  beautiful.  The  work  is  admirably  executed,  as  well  in  the 
scientific  as  anecdotical  passages,  and  is  worthv  of  the  widest  sale. — Newx. 


4  HARPER  S    NEW    MISCELLANY 

V. 

The  Practical  Astronomer: 

COMPRISING  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  LIGHT  AND  COLORS; 
PRACTICAL  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  ALL  KINDS  OF  TEL- 
ESCOPES, &C.,  WITH  DESCRIPTIVE  ACCOUNTS  OF 
THE  EARL  OF  ROSSE's  LARGE  TELESCOPES,  AND 
OTHER  TOPICS  CONNECTED  WITH  ASTRONOMY, 
BY    THOMAS    DICK,    LL.D., 

author  of  the  "  christian  philosopher,"  "  celestial  scenery," 
"the  sidereal  heavens,"  &C. 

100  Engravings.     12mo,  Muslin,  extra  gilt,  50  cents. 

The  name  of  the  distinguished  author  of  this  work  is  a  sufficient  pass- 
port to  public  favor  and  a  sure  guarantee  to  its  sterling  value,  and  those 
vifho  have  read  Dr.  Dick's  former  works  will  need  no  recommendation  of 
this  book  by  us.  He  is  not  only  an  original  and  profound  observer  of  na- 
ture, but  truly  a  most  excellent  Christian  philosopher,  whose  powers  of  in- 
tellect and  expanded  views  of  the  character  of  the  great  Architect  of  the 
universe  are  so  eminently  calculated  to  direct  the  mind  not  alone  to  the 
grandeur,  the  magnificence,  and  sublimity  of  the  laws  and  principles  of 
the  material  world,  but  to  look  through  nature  up  to  "  Nature's  God."  It 
is  truly  a  valuable  work. — Farmer  and  Mechanic. 

The  merits  of  this  work  are  of  the  highest  order;  Dick  is  one  of  the 
profoundest  and  purest  of  modern  philosophers. —  Western  Continent. 

Here  is  the  ninth  volume  presented  by  this  gifted  author  to  the  public  ; 
he  aim  of  all  of  which  has  been  to  simplify  sciences  which  before  have 
been  too  often  considered  as  every  way  above,  and  therefore  unworthy  of 
the  attention  of  ordinary  readers.  It  is  specially  addressed  to  private  stu 
dents  and  the  higher  schools,  and  comprises  a  large  amoUnt  of  new  and 
valuable  matter  connected  with  astronomy,  and  pointing  out  ways  in  which 
the  more  humble  student  can  in  the  best  way  improve  the  advantages  placed 
in  his  way. — Auburn  Journal. 

Let  not  the  inquisitive  fear  that  the  intricacies  qf  science  or  the  techni- 
calities of  language  will  obstruct  the  pleasure  they  will  derive  from  the 
study  of  this  book  ;  for  the  clearness  of  the  author's  style,  and  the  elucida- 
tion of  the  one  hundred  engravings,  render  it  within  the  scope  and  compre- 
hension of  every  intelligent  student. — Industrial  Record. 

The  copious  use  of  engravings  and  of  pictorial  illustrations,  together  with 
the  plain,  popular  explanations,  render  this  book  a  truly  practical  work. 
Dr.  Dick  is  not  only  thoroughly  scientific,  but  he  knows  well  how  to  render 
his  acquisitions  available  to  the  great  body  of  common  readers,  by  his  ac- 
curate method  and  clear  descriptions. —  Watchman. 

We  have  always  been  an  admirer  of  the  writings  of  this  gentleman,  aad 
popularity  keeps  on  his  side  wherever  he  is  known.  He  is  a  profound 
thinker  and  a  devout  Christian.  His  works  all  tend  to  illustrate  the  simple 
as  well  as  the  sublimest  principles  of  philosophy,  and  while  they  instruct, 
can  not  fail  to  enlighten.  The  present  volume  comprises  illustrations  of 
light  and  colors,  practical  descriptions  of  all  kinds  of  telescopes,  the  use  of 
the  equatorial-transit,  circular,  and  other  astronomical  instruments,  and 
other  topics  connected  with  astronomy.  It  is  illustrated  by  100  engrav- 
ings, and  will  be  found  a  most  valuable  book  for  all  classes,  but  particularly 
as  a  work  of  inslruotiou  for  youth. — Illustrated  Magazine. 


BP137.W42C.2 

The  Bible,  the  Koran,  and  the  Talmud 


Prmrnon  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00038  3267 


DATE  DOE 


H\C 


